Competition in the Fiji Football Association’s under-16 boys youth league was unexpectedly held up yesterday in Suva due to the delayed arrival of referees. Scheduled to kick off at 10 AM, the matches had yet to commence by the time a representative from this newspaper arrived at the Fiji FA Academy grounds in Vatuwaqa.
Players, dressed in their full gear, waited anxiously for the referees as they were eager to start their matches. Umesh Narayan, manager of the Rewa under-16 boys team, voiced his concerns about the situation. “The major concern is the boys are giving their commitment; they are all under 16 and looking at their welfare. They did their warm-up in the rainy weather, and now they are just sitting idle,” Narayan lamented, noting that they were informed the competition would resume at 11:30 AM.
Narayan pointed out that a similar issue had arisen during previous league matches held in Manoca, Nausori, and urged the Fiji Football Association to address the matter to avoid future occurrences. He stressed that repeated delays tarnish the image of Fiji football.
Fiji FA CEO Mohammed Yusuf acknowledged the situation and confirmed that appropriate actions would be taken regarding the officiating team. “The appointed referees did not show up on time, so we had to look for replacement referees to continue the game. We’ll be taking action against those referees,” he stated, emphasizing that such incidents bring disrepute to Fiji Football.
This incident follows a trend of concerns regarding the standards of officiating within the league system, highlighting a need for accountability to ensure the integrity of the sport. Recent actions by the Fiji FA to uphold standards and address similar complaints underline the organization’s commitment to improvement. As they take necessary steps, players and teams can remain hopeful for a more organized and reliable environment for youth football in Fiji.
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