“We will need to appoint a new national coach as soon as possible before the team prepares to travel to Thailand for a tour on the second week of August,” Patel said.
The Fiji Football Association (Fiji FA) will appoint a new coach for the national men’s team before their international tour.
Fiji FA president Rajesh Patel revealed this during Sunday’s council meeting that the former Cardiff City player was not producing the expected results from the national team.
Sherman, who was appointed in May, 2023 was in charge of the team during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania qualifiers in New Zealand where they were thrashed, 7-0, by the All Whites at Sky Stadium, Wellington.
“We will need to appoint a new national coach as soon as possible before the team prepares to travel to Thailand for a tour on the second week of August,” Patel said.
“We have parted ways on mutual understanding with Rob Sherman as we have expressed the disappointment in Fiji’s performance in Wellington.”
Fiji will be playing with Hong Kong, Iraq and Thailand in next month’s tour.
Patel added the recruitment process for a technical director is also underway; interviews are expected to be done today.
With the OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) pro league set to kick off next year, Patel indicated the games committee will need to re-look at the Fiji FA tournament calendar.
It is likely that the Fiji FACT could move either to a later date or will be held earlier than its scheduled period.
Other regional competitions highlighted by Patel included the world cup qualifier tournaments for the national U16 and U19 girls. U16 girls will depart for Samoa on July 29 to fight for a qualification for the World Cup in Morocco while the U19 qualifier will be held in Tahiti.
He added the U17 boys team bound for the World Cup in Qatar will be training for a month in Saudi Arabia where they will be playing against three national teams; the opponents are yet to be confirmed.
Patel also highlighted that five teams will not be part of the FMF Inter-district competition (IDC) including a premier division team.
“One premier and four senior teams have not complied with the council’s decision, they will also lose points; they have not conducted their AGM or send in their quarterly reports.”
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