NEW Fiji Football Association national coach Christophe Gamel is expected to bring a mixture of French and Italian football to blend with the Fijian style of play when he starts work with Fiji FA.
Gamel comes from a French and Italian background.
Gamel was an assistant coach at Paris Saint-Germain, which plays in the top tier of French football.
He has a pro-license from the Union of European Football Associations and has also coached Al Rayyan Football Club in Qatar and DVTK, which is a professional football league one team in Hungary.
“It is football in positive evolution, there are more and more competitions in the Oceania region,” he said.
“There are some difficulties but OFC will find more and more good ways to develop football in the Pacific Islands.”
Gamel will take over the role from former coach Frank Farina whose contract was terminated by Fiji FA after his last outing with the national team at the Olympic Games in Brazil last year.
He said it would be a challenge for him to coach the side.
“I thank Rajesh Patel, Patrick Jacquemet (OFC technical director) and Ravinesh Kumar (Fiji FA technical director),” he said.
“I had interviews with all of them and we had good discussions regarding high-level football. It has been a process to see my motivation and my football vision.
“I am not a big name as my colleagues but I have a good background in professional football. Fijian football federation believe in the project and we are all motivated to build and develop it.”
Gamel will arrive in the country tomorrow and his first task with the national side will be preparing the team for the third stage of the World Cup qualifiers against New Zealand in March on a home and away basis.
