NEW Navua coach Gurjeet Singh believes soccer fans are the best people to judge who is the top candidate to be national coach.
He made the comments after guiding the southerners to victory in the Fiji Bitter Fiji FACT final yesterday.
Singh, who spent less than a month with Navua after being discarded by Nadi, proved himself as one of the top coaches produced in Fiji after his side beat Labasa 1-0.
The former Olympians coach said the Fiji Football Association knows who the better coaches in the country are.
"I don’t want to say much about it," Singh said when questioned whether a local should take over the national coaching role.
"People should realise themselves. Fiji FA knows the better coaches."
Singh was tipped to take over the position some years ago but was over looked by the Fiji FA which hired an expatriate.
Tony Buesnel guided Fiji to lift the South Pacific Games trophy in 2003. That’s the only silverware that Fiji has been able to earn in recent years.
Australian Lee Sterrey and Uruguayan Juan Carlos Buzzetti have not produced the goods and have not been able to gain any success.
Meanwhile, the Navua players are expected to receive close to $2000 each for winning the Fiji FACT title. Navua is the first team from the Southern Division to walk away with the title from western soil.
Singh said he had a lot of faith in the young boys.
"We prepared well," Singh said.
"Preparation is the best thing if you want a team to win. The boys proved that they are the best.
"They picked up very well and adjusted to my system. I’m very proud of them."
Navua was the lone team not to concede a goal in the four-day tournament.
Fiji Football Association acting president Doctor Hari Kewal said the 2008 Fiji FACT was one of the best organised tournaments in the history