The Fiji Football Association president Rajesh Patel has criticised the country’s national sports association for overlooking Roy Krishna for the 2018 Sportsman of the Year award.

Patel believes the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) was wrong to choose Fiji Airways Flying Fijians fullback Alivereti Veitokani ahead of Krishna for the top award.

He made the comments at a cocktail organised to celebrate the India-bound former Wellington Phoenix striker’s achievements at the Fiji FA headquarters in Vatuwaqa, Suva on Saturday night.

“What Roy has achieved, no other sportsman in Fiji has and the sports fraternity, and especially FASANOC, made the wrong call,” he said.

“Maybe it was the judges, (but) Roy deserved to be the sportsman of the year. And I want to tell the public and sports fraternity: you didn’t recognise him but we at FFA will for what he deserves.”

FASANOC did not respond to questions by the time this edition went to press.

However, this year’s Fiji Sports Awards, held in March, was organised to recognise high-achieving athletes in the 2018 sporting calendar.

The majority of Krishna’s major awards came in May and June 2019.

Roy Krishna’s FIFA 19 Ultimate Team Card that’s available for a week

In 2018, the Siberia, Labasa, native did become the New Zealand-based club’s all-time top goal scorer, while also winning the 2018 Phoenix player of the year award.

Veitokani was recognised for the key role he played in the Fiji Airways Fijian Drua’s historic Australian National Rugby Championship win last year.

But Patel said he found it strange that Australia and New Zealand recognised Krishna where associations in Fiji did not.

“That is something wrong with our mentality here,” he claimed.

His comments were largely based on Krishna’s stellar season with the Wellington Phoenix in the 2018-19 Hyundai A-League.

The 31-year-old claimed the golden boot award for most goals in the season and received the Johnny Warren medal, which is given to the best player in the A-League.

His other notable achievement included edging out 56-cap All Blacks halfback T.J. Perenara to win the Wellington Sportsman of the Year award.

Edited by Leone Cabenatabua

Feedback:  sheldon.chanel@fijisun.com.fj