Interim Labasa football coach Anand Sami will now assist Vodafone Fijian football head coach Christophe Gamel in pre­paring the national team for the Malaysian tour.

This was confirmed yesterday by Fiji Football Association chief ex­ecutive Mohammed Yusuf indicat­ing that the Malaysian tour is set for July 5.

“Anand Sami is now the assistant national football coach,” he said.

The stylish midfielder who was dubbed ‘The Wizard’ during the height of his career in the 1970s returned to help Labasa prepare for the Vodafone Fiji FACT tourna­ment.

He stepped in after coach Bal Sanju Reddy was also tied up with national commitments.

Under Sami’s guidance Labasa won their pool games convincingly. In 1992, he also coached the Ba­basiga Lions to win their first-ever Interdistrict Championship title at Ratu Cakobau Park in Nausori.

They beat Nadroga 2-0 in the final a feat he never achieved as a player.Sami played alongside football greats like the late Josaia Tubuna, John Grey, Inia Bola, Bale Raniga, Rusiate Waqa and the list goes on.

Meanwhile, Yusuf also confirmed that national football goalkeeper coach Xavier Henneuse has ex­tended his contract with Fiji Foot­ball Association.

“It’s no extended right up to De­cember,” he said.

Henneuse told Fiji FA Media that he was happy to work with Fiji FA in getting the goalkeepers trained in a professional way.

“First of all, it’s a big task to iden­tify goalkeepers and develop them from a grass-root level,” Henneuse said.

“Also to form goalkeeper coaches in all districts and it is not easy. I have a lot of work to do and I have already planned as to how I would be working as far as the goalkeep­ers are concerned.”

Henneuse has brought 14 years of experience along with him after working along with Ligue 2 and third tier clubs in France.

Impressive during the Fiji FACT was Rewa goalkeeper Benito Waqavou, Akuila Mateisuva of Labasa and Nadi’s Vereti Dickson.

Edited by Osea Bola

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