Yusuf: Any Team Can Win B.O.G
Any team can win the Punjas Battle of the Giants tournament, says a senior football executive.
Fiji Football Association chief executive officer Mohammed Yusuf said this is because of the competitiveness of matches played in the Digicel Premier League.
“We’ve seen the level of competition in the DPL and for sure we cannot predict who will qualify for the semifinals and final,” Yusuf told Fiji FA Media.
“The first weekend, which is on August 26-28 is going to be very interesting especially when it’s played at Churchill Park in Lautoka.
“After knowing who will play in the group stages the teams must be preparing well. We can expect a lot of fireworks in some of these matches.”
In Group A, Nadi leads the charge followed by Suva, Nadroga and Labasa.
Hosts Lautoka is top seed for Group B along with defending B.O.G champions Rewa, Ba and Navua
“Looking at the groups I’m sure we all can expect some nail-biting clash during the group stages.
“All the teams will want to win and qualify for the knockout stages so they are coming out firing,” Yusuf added.
Blues boss calls for support
Lautoka Football Association‘s interim chairman, Rajnesh Prasad, believes they are in a good group.
“We will not underestimate any team in our group,” said Prasad
“We will treat each match as final. We are the hosts and the pressure will be on us so we need to perform to our best.
“Despite the challenges we managed to perform our best in the League and I’m sure that will boost us in the tournament,”
Prasad urged Lautoka fans to come out in numbers and support the team in their campaign.
It’s not easy: Pratap
Similar sentiment was echoed by Suva Football president, Ritesh Pratap, indicating that they cannot afford to take any team lightly.
“We will be playing Nadi and Nadroga who are unpredictable teams and have been playing well in the League.
“Then tournament favourites Labasa, so it is not an easy go,” said Pratap
“We will need to work harder in our preparations and the onus will be on the players to prove themselves.
“If we compare it to the Fiji FACT, I think this tournament is much more competitive as all teams have prepared well.
“We as the Fiji FACT champions know all teams will come out firing against us so we have set our game plan,” said Pratap.
Labasa has opted to keep a low profile in their preparations for the B.O.G.
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