Ba chase first Fiji FACT title since 2010

The road to ending a 16-year BiC Fiji FACT title drought runs through Labasa for Ba FC.

The Men in Black face a daunting semifinal assignment against defending champions Labasa at Subrail Park on Saturday.

Head coach Ravinesh Kumar believes his side is doing everything possible to give itself the best chance of success.

Ba opted to remain in the North following the completion of pool matches, a move Kumar says was necessary to maximise recovery and preparation time.

“We don’t want our players to travel back and forth. It’s only a matter of four days after we finished the games,” Kumar said.

“We are aware that Labasa are the defending champions. It will not be an easy game and we will do every hard yard to overcome Labasa.”

The decision was also influenced by concerns over player fitness, with several members of the squad battling injuries and illness.

“We have quite a few injured players and some are sick as well. That is one of the reasons we have opted to stay back because travelling will make them more sick,” Kumar said.

While recovery remains a priority, the Ba coaching staff have also spent the week analysing their opponents.

“We have observed how other teams play, how Labasa played, and how we need to improve ourselves and tackle Labasa in the semifinals,” he said.

The stakes are high for the western giants.

Ba last lifted the Fiji FACT trophy in 2010 when they defeated Navua 1-0 in the final at Churchill Park, Lautoka. The winning goal was scored by Avinesh Suwamy in the 49th minute.

Despite their lengthy title drought, Ba remain the most successful team in Fiji FACT history with eight titles to their name. They were the inaugural champions in 1991 and remain the only side to have won four consecutive titles, achieving the feat between 2004 and 2007.

Their rich history, however, will count for little when they take on a confident Labasa side that is chasing back-to-back titles in front of its passionate home supporters.

For Kumar and his players, Saturday’s semifinal presents an opportunity to write a new chapter in the club’s proud history and move one step closer to ending a wait that has stretched more than a decade and a half.

To do that, they must first conquer the champions on their own turf.