Brothers Jitoko Vulava of Labasa and Suva’s Akuila Mateisuva faced off for the first time against each other on their home turf in Round 12 of the Digicel Fiji Premier League at Subrail Park.
The elder brother, former national goalkeeper Mateisuva, witnessed his team fall 1-0 to Labasa, where his younger brother, Vulava, plays.
In a prior conversation with FijiLive, Vulava mentioned that he joined the Labasa team in 2016 and had the opportunity to represent his district.
The 27-year-old said that just being related to Mateisuva opened doors in goalkeeping for him.
He initially started as a rugby player in high school, but his teachers encouraged him to try out for football after learning about his brother’s success in the sport.
Vulava added that his father, who passed away in 2021, had always supported the two brothers in their football careers.