Life After Sports: From Defender, Teller To Driver

Peter Dean rose to prominence when the country was desperately searching for a solid defender to take over from the legendary Jone Nakosia of Ba.

Playing at last man down for the Nadi football team, the lanky Dean was a hard man to get past and a nightmare to most of the country’s top strikers at that time.

He made to the national team in 1983 and was the country’s top defender for over two decades.

Dean was born in Lautoka. His dad was Mohammed Azim Dean while his mother Fulori Nasau hails from Viseisei, Vuda.

He attended Lautoka Muslim College before he moved on to Nadi College.

As soon as he completed high school, Dean was employed by the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) where he worked as a teller for eight years.

At the height of his football career, Dean moved overseas to attend a football trial.

But it came to an abrupt end when he was forced to return home after his son was involved in an accident.

Upon his return, Dean worked as a bus driver for TTF (tourist coach) until his father passed away and he joined the family bus company Shahabud Dean Transport Limited. Dean has been working as a bus driver from 1995 until his retirement in February, this year.

He is married with two children.

Career

Dean’s football talents was first unveiled at Nadi College by Bobby Ali and Shamim Zikar Ali.

“I did not know what the hell football was all about until our assistant principal (Asmatulla Khan) confronted me and asked why I didn’t play for the inter-house competition,” the 60-year-old said.

“I told him that I was in the athletics team. He replied, ‘why I wanted to run around like a horse when my uncles represented Lautoka and Fiji and asked me why I can’t be like them?’”

Dean said he attended his first football training the same afternoon.

He was reminded that his uncle, Hakim Dean was a striker.

“They put me at right striker. So I took the ball and took off and forgot where the goal post was. They directed me to the goal post and they told me that I was too fast so they prefer to put me to the right back.

“When I took the ball for the right position I overlapped, I even passed the right wing.

“I don’t give him the ball I even went right through and they told me to go and play last man down. That is where I picked up the game.”

Renowned football administrator Bobby Tikaram watched Dean play during his school days and approached him to join the Airport Football Club.

But Dean played for Blue Sports Club and later joined Tikaram’s Airport FC in 1978.

“Tikaram was really serious about it and wanted me to register so I did.”

That same year he was part of the Nadi Secondary Schools team that competed at Labasa.

Meli Vuilabasa played for Ba when they played in the semi-finals but Dean’s Nadi went on to win the title after beating Tony Kabakoro’s Suva side in the final.

In 1981, Dean was selected to the Nadi team after Bavu, Nadroga native Kini Tubi decided to join Lautoka.

Back then Dr Hari Kewal and Mani Naicker were in control of the Nadi team as manager and coach respectively.

“Before my debut match against Tailevu/Naitasiri in the national league, Dr Kewal called and these were his words to me, ‘My son today is your day, either you make it or you break it. If you break it, don’t show your face here from tomorrow.’”

Nadi won and that saw this lanky defender cement his spot in the team.

Injury woes

Like any other sportsperson, Dean had his fair share of injuries.

“The major injury I had saw me sidelined for about a year and a half.

“I dislocated my knee in a tournament, the weekend before Easter. I was supposed to play for the Nadi Muslim team during the Easter weekend. They told me a week before not to go as it was a fundraising tournament,” he recalled.

“I said I wanted to go to build on my fitness. That Saturday we played Suva in the first game, six minutes into the game, a guy named Joe Cash hit me from the back. When I fell to the ground my knee got separated.

“I was airlifted to Nadi, my team-mates Kini Tubi and Anare Wakawaka came to drop me at the airport. I told them if you guys want to visit me better come with the cheque.

“They played the final against Lautoka and Nausori Highland native Orisi Nakadi scored our winning goal.”

National football team in 1983 Peter Dean (third row- third from left).

Comeback

In September, 1985, Dean was told that to play in the Interdistrict Championship, he had to play in the Jimmy Raman Pratap Trophy against Nadi.

Dean made his return from injury and continued playing right to 1992.

Looking back, he rated the Muslim tournament as one of the most competitive ones.

“Back in those days the Muslim tournament were tough as there were top players like Mohammed Salim, Abdul Mannan for Rewa and Suva had Faiyaz Khan. The Nadi Muslim team was something like Ba who held on to the trophy for eight straight years.”

Dean played for Fiji at the 1983 South Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa. He kept representing Fiji right up to 1992.

He vividly remembered Nadi’s 3-1 win over New Caledonia under the newly installed floodlights at Prince Charles Park, Nadi.

“During my career I played with the best. I also remember when former Fiji captain George Koi led Fiji’s 1-0 win over Australia in 1977, I was still in high school,” he said.

He was part of the Ex-Fiji Football Association proposing to form a new body.

“I dreamt about it for some time at Seremaia Tale’s place seven years ago and it all started from there,” he added.

Edited by Leone Cabenatabua

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