FIJI Football Association has appointed Frank Farina as the new Vodafone Fiji under-20 team coach.
Farina, who joined the national side as the technical advisor late last year, has now been tasked to guide the team to the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup in New Zealand.
Ravinesh Kumar, who guided the Fiji U20 team to the historic world cup qualification, has been appointed to the Fiji FA technical director’s post.
Fiji FA president Rajesh Patel said they did not want Kumar to be overloaded with the technical work that he was doing prior to his appointment as the national U20 coach.
“We had meeting after the President’s Cup with the board and had a good meeting with OFC technical department and since Ravinesh Kumar, our technical director will be overloaded with development and everything, so tactfully we decided to switch positions,” Patel said.
“It gives more responsibility for Frank Farina to take the team to the next level and with the tour that’s coming up in Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia, we hope the team gears up well for the World Cup in New Zealand.”
Meanwhile, the Fiji FA received a timely boost for the Pillay Garments Champion versus Champion series. Pillay Garments yesterday presented $27,000 worth of sponsorship which include cash and in kind support.
Patel thanked the company for its continuous support in helping the development of the sport in the country. He said the sponsorship was an increase from last year adding they hoped to continue this partnership in the future.
The winner of the CVC series will receive $5000 while the runner-up gets $2500. Fastkil Suva and 4R Electrical Ba received $2000 each to prepare for the series.
The opening leg of the series will be held tomorrow at the ANZ Stadium in Suva at 3pm.
Ticket price is $5 for adults, $2 for children under-12 while entry for children U8 is free.
