The Nadroga football team has suspended seven players due to ill-discipline and misconduct during the pool games of the Rooster Chicken/Scoops Ice Cream Battle of the Giants tournament in Suva last weekend.
Team president Max Chetty, a prominent Nadi-based lawyer, confirmed the suspension, stating that most of the suspended players are senior members of the team.
“Two players broke camp on Friday night after our first game,” Chetty said. “We reviewed the footage of the games and were really disappointed to see the way we performed, especially since management had done all it could in preparations.”
Chetty emphasized that the association will not tolerate such behavior and aims to set a high standard for upcoming players.
“Ill-discipline will not be tolerated. There were players who did not listen to instructions from the officials on the bench, which created more problems for our team.”
A three-member committee has been formed to investigate the incidents, and all seven players are expected to face the committee next week.
In addition, Chetty confirmed that the association has received six applications for the coach’s position. The current coach, Kamal Swamy, was unwell for the last pool match against Suva, leading to the president stepping in as coach. Swamy has not reapplied for the position.
Nadroga is set to play against Nadi in the Digicel Fiji Premier League next Sunday.
Meanwhile, in the Battle of the Giants semi-finals at the HFC Bank Stadium tomorrow, Lautoka will face Rewa at 2 pm, and Suva will meet Nadi at 4:30 pm.