Krishna to boost Fiji team campaign

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Roy Krishna with his wife Naziah at Leela Goa beach in India. Picture: KAUSTAV SAIKIA

Fiji football wonder boy and India-based Roy Krishna is expected home next January to boost Fiji’s preparation to the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers next March in Qatar. Good news is looming in the Krishna family as the Labasa-born Fiji football team captain and his wife Naziah are expecting the birth of their eldest child soon.

“We are very excited to welcome our first child soon,” Naziah said yesterday.

“It is a miracle that has brought us a ray of hope in the middle of this pandemic. We’ve had to come to Goa, India, last month as the Indian Super League is about to kick off in a month. We are due in early December.”

Fiji team manager Anushil Kumar said Krishna was expected to join some overseas-based reps in Fiji’s campaign.

“Roy is no doubt a class of his own and his presence itself is a great morale booster to our boys. There’s a FIFA International Window in January next year and we are looking forward to some international friendlies which would be a great exposure for our boys ahead of the qualifiers,” Kumar said.

“Other overseas-based players include Nicholas Prasad from Canada, who has already played for Fiji in the March window in 2019 and Pacific Games. There’s Shuaib Khan, another player we are looking into who is currently playing for Manukau United in New Zealand. A few more players have shown interest, but then every player will have to go through a training camp with our national head coach. Selection into the squad is solely performance-based.”

Another overseas-based player who had played for Fiji is London-born Scott Wara who began his career with Stoke City.

Meanwhile, 21 players had been training for three weeks in the Digicel Fiji side at the Fiji FA Academy in Ba.

The team will break camp next week for the resumption of Digicel Premier League and will march back into camp in November.

Squad: Beniamino Mateinaqara – Lautoka, Afraz Ali – Lautoka, Sitiveni Cavuilagi – Lautoka, Atonio Tuivuna – Lautoka, Muni Shivam Naidu – Lautoka, Edward Aaron – Lautoka, Dave Radrigai – Lautoka, Sairusi Nalaubu – Lautoka, Thomas Dunn – Navua, Kirtesh Prasad – Navua, Kishan Sami – Rewa, Setareki Hughes – Rewa, Inoke Turagalailai – Rewa, Mohammed Alzaar Alam – Rewa, Tevita Waranaivalu – Rewa, Patrick Joseph – Rewa, Remueru Tekiate – Suva, Abbu Zahid – Ba, Rahul Naresh – Nadroga, Isikeli Sevanaia Jr – Nadroga.

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