Heavy rainfall led to unplayable ground conditions, causing a two-hour delay during the FMF Inter District Championship at Churchill Park in Lautoka yesterday. The match between the Labasa team, coached by Ravneel Pratap, and Navua, originally scheduled for 4pm, was postponed to 6pm pending a ground inspection by officials from the Fiji Football Association and referees.
Jitendra Reddy, head of Fiji Referees, emphasized the necessity for precautionary measures to ensure the ground was in a playable state. “The unfavorable weather conditions have significantly impacted the ground,” he stated. “The committee has decided to delay the game, but we are determined to complete all group matches. However, we will assess the situation on a game-by-game basis.” Reddy reiterated that player safety is the top priority.
Rewa and Labasa have already secured their spots in the semi-finals scheduled for tomorrow.
In another match, the Nadi side, coached by Raj Dayal, achieved a vital 4-1 victory against Nadroga, keeping their semi-final ambitions alive. Nadi was ahead 2-0 at halftime with goals from Siotame Kubu and Ratu Tulivou, while Nadroga scored through Semesa Sacere to bring the score to 2-1. Nadi’s William Valentine extended their lead with a goal in the 77th minute, followed by Kubu’s second goal.
Nadi is now waiting to see the results of the Rewa versus Ba match to determine their qualification possibilities. Ba needs to defeat Rewa by two clear goals to secure a spot in the semi-finals. Nadi Football Association president Mohin Rafiq expressed optimism, stating, “Nadi has four points, and we are hopeful that Rewa can either hold Ba to a draw or lose by a single goal. The boys put in hard work following our loss on day two. We knew Nadroga would be tough and couldn’t take them lightly.”
The highly anticipated clash between Lautoka and Suva is set to decide the final semi-finalist alongside Labasa. These matches occurred as this report was prepared last night.