A family is planning to take legal action after they claimed they have been falsely accused of demanding $140,000 from the Fiji Football Association (FFA) for their son’s operation after sustaining injuries from training.
His concerned mother, Ruci Brown, spoke with heartbreak and frustration over how her family has been treated.
“My son got injured while training at the Fiji Football in Suva, he dislocated a bone,” she claimed.
Ms. Ruci claimed the association did not take her son to the hospital after he had sustained injuries.
“My son was the only child from the North who got injured during training. All we wanted was proper care.”
She said one thing she would never lie about was her son getting injured, and as a mother, she felt it was deeply wrong and heartbreaking.
“We gave them the chance to do the right thing, but they never called back, never checked the facts, and only went out and told the public a story that is not true.
“It is humiliating and unfair.”
She said they do want money from Fiji Football as they can afford the operation themselves.
“His medical certificate and bill were shown to them as evidence that he had sustained injuries during training.
“We have brought all the medical reports to you as a form of evidence.”
Medical reports from Oceania Hospital in Suva confirm that her 12-year-old complained of hip pain and limping, an injury from soccer which he had sustained in December 2025.
Examinations showed an irritable joint with fixed deformity, and scans suggested a thickened capsule with possible infection.
This comes after a statement was issued on Tuesday by the association’s president, Rajesh Patel, on the players’ injuries policy.
“The family later went to a private hospital, where a hip dislodgement was detected, with surgery estimated at around $140,000,” he said in a statement.
The statement stated that the family had been advised to proceed with treatment at a government hospital, where the costs would be covered under the association’s insurance policy.
In case of any injury, he said, an official injury form must be completed and signed by a government hospital doctor, detailing the injury, treatment required and expected costs.
“If this process is followed, we will cover all medical costs for treatment and recovery.
“Officials must ensure this is done as soon as an injury occurs.”
