In a shocking turn of events, the Courts Inter-District Championship witnessed a disturbing incident as Solomon Islander and Navua player, Jackson Wale, was taken to the hospital during the Group B clash against Rewa.
The tension-soaked match escalated into violence when Rewa goalkeeper Epeli Loaniceva allegedly threw a punch and stepped on Wale’s chest while he was on the ground, prompting immediate outrage from spectators and officials alike.
The incident, which occurred midway into the second half, led to Loaniceva receiving a straight red card from referee Deepak Raj, prompting his ejection from the match. Wale, on the other hand, was swiftly taken to the hospital for medical attention.
Navua President Rajeev Prasad condemned the violent act.
“It was very brutal; no one should be treated that way. The law has to take its course, we are all under Fiji football and at that moment we were all very frustrated.
“I personally went to the police and told them that we are sending this player for a report and that will happen, we forgive him but to protect everyone in the future, we have to follow the law.
“This is very serious, if we ignore it, it can get worse in the future like someone can really get hurt, injured or even get killed.”
Fiji Football’s chief executive officer Mohammed Yusuf confirmed that depending on the referee’s report, Loaniceva would have to appear before the disciplinary committee.
“If it’s a serious violent misconduct then he will appear before the independent disciplinary committee. If found guilty then our disciplinary code outlines suspension for as long as 18 months, minimum of six months, depending on the independent lawyer. The player also has a chance to defend himself. Our legal process will be even if he apologises or if the police are involved.”
Despite the severity of the situation, Rewa’s coach Rodeck Singh expressed his disappointment and revealed plans to address the indiscipline with Loaniceva.
“We’ll discuss, we will show him the video and he will realise his mistakes. It’s our job to apologise to Navua football, Rewa does not condone violent conduct and we asked him to apologise to the player (Jackson Wale).”
Loaniceva visited Navua’s locker room after the game to personally apologize for his behaviour. Navua’s mentor, Sayed Ali, acknowledged the apology .
“I think it’s up to the decision makers, whatever they decide we will follow. I think it is something very good to see even if he is charged, something like that should be considered that he came to apologize and I told my players to forgive him.”
In the midst of the drama, Navua managed to come away with a 2-1 win securing their place in the semi-finals as Rewa was booted out of the tournament.
Navua joins Suva and Lautoka in the last four plus the winner between the last fixture of day (last night) Labasa and Ba.
