Lucky "Cheetah"
Ba Football Association Facebook
22 September 2012
TRIBUTE: KELEMEDI
"Cheetah" Vosuga was one of the reasons why the Lautoka Blues were
unstoppable in the mid 80s.
He
won all three trophies on offer by Fiji Football Association back then — the Battle
of the Giants, Inter-district Championship and the National Football League.
The
creative midfielder's first taste of success in the top flight came in the 1984
NFL. That was followed up by the 1984 IDC title following their 2-0 triumph
over Ba at Churchill Park.
He
scored the opening goal in the 1985 BOG final against Rewa in Suva and two more
goals by Sam Work and Epeli "Kosa" Raganivatu gave the Blues their
first and only BOG crown to date.
"We
had some very good players and with seniors like John Monday and the late Gopal
Krishna guiding us, we jelled very well as a team," says Vosuga, who was
visiting revaltives in Fiji earlier this week.
Now
based in Australia, the man with uncanny skills in his heydays, believes having
a good set of officials put them in good stead.
"The
team was a very disciplined one unlike what is happening with Lautoka
now," he says.
"We
had authoritative people like the no-nonsense Mike Thoman and Inspector Jahir
Khan as coach and manager, so you can imagine the stronghold they had over
us."
Vosuga,
from Topline in Lautoka, Monday, Work, Raganivatu, Upendra Choy, Jeremaiah
Ladawa, Niko Lilo were some of the big names of that golden Lautoka era.
Vosuga
also featured for Lautoka with his brothers Wame "Macha" and Jimmy,
whose son Sekove Tama also played for Lautoka and the national team.
Jimmy
and the late Wame went on to play for Rewa.
Vosuga
was a key player in the Fiji team in the mid 80s and featured prominently in
wins over New Zealand 2-0, in the first of two Test series in 1983, and English
side Newcastle 3-1 at Prince Charles Park in which he scored two goals and his
Blues teammate Work got the third.
"Those
are memorable moments," Vosuga remembers.
"We
had an awesome Fiji team that included players like Abdul Mannan, Mohammed
Salim, Tony Kabakoro, the late Josaia Tubuna, Jone Nakosia, Bale Raniga,
Rusiate Waqa and Savenaca Waqa.
"These
were players that loved football, were good ball players and had a lot of pride
for their districts and country."
Vosuga
said district matches, especially those between Ba and Lautoka, Lautoka and
Nadi and Nadi and Ba, were often hotly contested.
"We
would give it everything during the matches and, at times, there were fights as
well, mostly when we played Ba," he says.
"Neither
team wanted to lose. We both had big name players. Ba had Raniga, Semi
Tabaiwalu, Nakosia, Tubuna, Meli Vuilabasa and Inia Bola."
There
was no love lost on the field of play.
"Otherwise
we were good mates and mostly enjoyed a beer or two together after the
matches."
Vosuga
said back then there wasn't much cash incentive on offer but they were happy
with what they got.
"For
me, I wanted to play my way overseas," he says.
"That
was always at the back of my head."
His
dream came true as he pursued a contract in Australia and has since made that
country his home.
Vosuga
though is very disappointed with the state of Lautoka football.
He
says he can't understand as to why the Blues were now contracting players from
as far as Nigeria.
"I
am sure we have so many talented reps within the district," he says.
"That's
why I wanted to watch the club games but was told that there haven't been club
games held for sometime now.
"How
can you breed players without having club games?"
Vosuga
wants to see a lot more local players securing contracts overseas with the view
to playing in the big leagues abroad.
"We
have to focus on the younger players and try and get them out of the country at
the very first opportunity. That is their life, their bread and butter,"
he reasons.
"It's
no use trying to hold back players to help districts win tournaments when you
know that at the end of the day.
"They
will go back to their villages, drink kava and waste their life once their
football career is over."
He
wants to see Lautoka rise to the top again and picks "Raymond Singh, of
Islands Electric Wholesalers" as the top man for the Blues job.
"He
(Raymond) knows how to keep the players happy. A lot has to do with the
players' welfare. That's first and foremost. You keep them happy. They will
give you the results."
How's
that for a tip from the wizard who knew how to get results for both district
and country in the mid 80s.
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