FRESH out of high school and lifting the Fiji FACT title in 1995 for Suva after beating Labasa 4-0 in the final was the story for former Suva football player and coach Intiaz Khan.
Khan recalled how it felt in aiding the men in white etch their names into the annals of Fiji football.
“I just left school from MGM, that was one of my first major tournament in Labasa,” Khan explained.
“Preparation was good because for us, it was something like a new team. It wasn’t just a new team but the officials and some senior players Maretino (Nemani), Nasoni, (William) Lasaqa, they were so renowned; Mohammed Yusuf; big names.”
“Going through the tournament, Maretino was our coach. And we were all obliged to have him actually at that time.”
“Labasa were the favourites, actually we beat them 4-0 in the final. If you look at their 11 players, it was all star-studded national players,” he stated.
He recalled how back in 1995, following their Fiji FACT win in Labasa, there were talks of how the home team may have handed Suva the win.
“There’s a big hit in there that Labasa sold the game to us in the finals or we bribed,” Khan recalled.
“To be honest, I’ll say it again, I’ve said it so many times on air. There was nothing as such (in) those days.”
Following the 1995 victory, he continued with his professional career both on and off the field with a foray into coaching.
Years on from Suva’s dynamic victory over the Babasiga Lions, he now runs a thriving tent and car rental business in Nabua, Suva.
