The fleet-footed Fijian international has instead been given the green light by Waitakere to feature for Labasa, the side he lines up for in his homeland, as they continue their chase for the Fiji Sun/Weet-Bix National Football League title.
“Roy was to meet up with us in Suva and play against Rewa and Ba,” Waitakere chairman Rex Dawkins says.
“But I understand that Labasa now have two fixtures this weekend and, even though I have had no request from Labasa, I am happy to allow Roy to play for his club. Labasa have a chance of winning the league and I would not jeopardise their chances by not allowing Roy to play.”
It is expected that the 24-year-old will now be reunited with his Waitakere team mates after the domestic Courts Inter District Championship (IDC), which is set to be held from October 6 to 10 at the TFL National Stadium in Suva.
While Waitakere will be without one of their major assets for the Fiji tour, their first-up opponents have received a boost ahead of Friday’s match with the news that New Zealand-based former stars Waisake Sabutu and Pita Rabo, both fresh from winning the Chatham Cup with Wairarapa United, will feature for the Delta Tigers in the friendly.
Rewa will be out for revenge after succumbing to a 4-1 loss to Waitakere last Sunday at Bill McKinlay Park in Auckland.
Plenty of interest will also centre on Sunday’s clash, which sees New Zealand champions Waitakere come up against their Fijian counterparts in Ba. Both sides are using the match as part of their preparations for the 2012 O-League, which kicks off on October 29.
The chance to meet before the campaign is a golden opportunity for the coaching staffs of both outfits as the sides have been drawn together in Group A and must therefore find a way to outwit each other.
However, Dawkins is refusing to buy into the importance of the match and says it is arriving too early to guage the O-League potential of the teams.
“There is no alterior motive in playing Ba as the time between this game and the O-League match is over two months. We do not have to finalise our team until September 29 so this will give us an opportunity to give our trialists some game time,” he says.
Ba president Rishi Kumar feels differently and believes the game will prove very useful for his side.
“We will be using this match as a build-up for the O-League,” he says. “The IDC is coming up for us but we cannot say we will use that as a build-up because the games are only 60 minutes long.”
Ba and Waitakere have past history of enthralling battles after clashing in the final of the 2007 O-League. Ba gave themselves a great chance of earning the title with a 2-1 win over the Kiwis in the first leg at Govind Park but Waitakere hit back in the second leg with a 1-0 victory at Mt Smart Stadium.
That meant the scores were tied at 2-2 on aggregate and Waitakere lifted the trophy thanks to the away goals rule.
Waitakere United tour of Fiji
Rewa vs Waitakere United
Ratu Cakobau Park, Nausori
Friday 23 September
Kick-off: 7.15pm local time
Tickets: Adults $4, children $2
Ba vs Waitakere United
Govind Park, Ba
Sunday 25 September
Kick-off: 2pm local time
Tickets: $3
For more on Fiji football go to www.fijifootball.com.fj

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