The Fiji Football Association (Fiji FA) will distribute food rations to players impacted by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Fiji FA Board approved the Finance Committee’s recommendation to set aside appropriate funding for the cause and they have partnered with major sponsor Punjas to complete the task.
Fiji FA President Rajesh Patel said the association’s social responsibility continued to be a priority during these challenging times.
“A survey was conducted to identify the footballers whose livelihoods were affected due to zero football activity since late April,” Patel said.
“We will assist those who were fully committed and dependent on football as their only source of income.
“The distributions will be done under strict COVID-19 safety protocols with the help of the police to ensure they are being met.”
The initiative will be rolled out in phases starting with the men’s and women’s Digicel Premier League districts, followed by all Viti Levu and Vanua Levu senior men’s and women’s teams when eligible.
“We are also aware of the effects of the two tropical cyclones that hit Vanua Levu among the football communities,” Patel said.
“Competitions in Vanua Levu also didn’t start yet when the pandemic hit us again in mid-April.
“As a result, we will be checking last year’s documents to establish who the fully committed footballers are that qualify.”
Fiji FA Vice Presidents Edwin Chand and Girja Prasad will oversee the distributions in the Northern Division, while Deputy Chairman Aiyaz Musa will distribute across the Western Division alongside Naziah Ali Krishna and Jitendra Kumar.
Southern distributions will be led by four Fiji FA board members Ravin Swamy, Jitendra Reddy, Yogeshwar Singh and Susan Wise.
Courtesy of Fiji FA
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