The Vodafone Fiji Under 20 Soccer Team players will be rewarded tomorrow for their achievement as the first Fijian Soccer Team to qualify for the FIFA Under 20 World Cup next year.
Fiji Football Association President Rajesh Patel said it is a remarkable achievement for Fiji soccer and the players deserve a bonus payout.
Patel said there are plans for the Under 20 team to play overseas matches to allow them the exposure before the World Cup will be played in New Zealand next year.
Patel added he always focuses on soccer development in Fiji and win yesterday is a testament of that.
Meanwhile, Under 20 Captain Jale Dreloa believes Fiji will prepare well for the World Cup next year.
Fiji managed to defeat the Solomon Islands 2-1 in their last match of the OFC Under 20 Championship last night.
The Solomons were leading 1-0 early in the match however Fiji’s Nickel Chand equalized and Praneel Naidu nailed a perfect free kick to hand Fiji a 2-1 win.
Victory handed Fiji soccer its first ever appearance at a FIFA world event and ended a 40 year wait to claim the OFC U20 Championship title.
Story by: Ronal Deo
