Latest news with #RobSherman
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Fiji to compete in King's Cup in Thailand
Fiji FA CEO says the national men's team will play two matches against Iraq and Hong Kong on 4 September and 7 September. Photo: OFC via phototek / Shane Wenzlick The Fiji national men's football team has been invited to compete in the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) 2025 King's Cup tournament, the Fiji Football Association chief executive has confirmed. Speaking to RNZ Pacific, Mohammed Yusuf said four teams have been locked in for the 51st edition of the tournament: Fiji, Thailand, Iraq and Hong Kong. The event will be held during the FIFA International Match Window from 1 to 9 September. Yusuf said Fiji will play two matches against Iraq and Hong Kong on 4 September and 7 September. He said Fiji FA's focus now is on finding a head coach, after incumbent Rob Sherman departed by mutual agreement this week. Sherman coached Fiji during the OFC 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where the side failed to finish in the top two. Rob Sherman stepped down as Fiji men's team head coach this week. Photo: Screenshot/Fiji FA. New Zealand won that Oceania spot, while runner-up New Caledonia still has a chance of qualifying through a play-off round. Yusuf said the King's Cup tournament will be a good test for the Fijians, as they kick off their campaign for the next round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Fiji is the lowest-ranked team among the four participating nations, sitting at 150th position out of 210 in the FIFA rankings. Iraq, which won the title two years ago, is ranked 58th in the world. Thailand is ranked 102nd, while Hong Kong is three places above Fiji at 147th. Thailand won the tournament in Songkhla last year, after defeating Syria 2-1 in the final.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Inside Fiji's bold bid for FIFA World Cup qualification
Preparing an amateur squad featuring policemen, builders and transport workers, Rob Sherman is under no illusions about the task at hand as Fiji look to pull off the unthinkable and qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Pacific nation need to beat far-better resourced New Zealand in Wellington on March 21 in the semi-finals of Oceania qualifying. The reward for that would be a match against either New Caledonia or Tahiti three days later at Eden Park for a direct ticket to the 2026 showpiece in North America. Upsetting New Zealand's professionals might amount to Fiji's finest moment in soccer. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NZFFI (@nzfiji_football) While lacking New Zealand's skill and fitness levels, Fiji can match them for enthusiasm, said the team's manager Sherman. "Well, let's make no excuses - it's going to be a very tough encounter," the former Melbourne Victory assistant coach told Reuters. "I mean, they're professionals and we're a team full of amateurs, if we're honest. "So we have to accept the fact that it's likely that they'll have the vast majority of possession. So it's how we play without the ball that's a factor." Fiji are holding a training camp in Auckland before they head to Wellington next week to continue preparations. The mood in the camp is good, even without 37-year-old talisman Roy Krishna, the highest scoring and most-capped Fiji player of all time. One of few Fijians to carve out a successful career in the professional ranks, Krishna is unavailable for the qualifier due to a knee injury. It is a blow for a squad that toils largely in obscurity in a nation renowned for its rugby talent. Funding is tight and securing the services of players can be a challenge. Sherman's squad, which contains several policemen, have full-time jobs and not all of them can afford the time off for tours and training camps. Sherman would love to call up players with Fijian heritage, such as Melbourne-born centre back Dan Hall, who plays for A-League team Auckland FC. However, overseas-born players would need to live in Fiji for five years to get a passport, which can be a tough sell for those earning a living in foreign leagues. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Oceania Football Confederation (@ofcfootball) Welshman Sherman, who has worked as a technical director for the Wales, Australia and New Zealand football associations, says more professional pathways are needed for Fiji-born players in foreign leagues. He hopes Australia might loosen tight caps on foreign players in its professional leagues, perhaps allowing exemptions for Fijians and other Oceania nation players. That would make A-League teams more inclined to gamble on untried players from the Pacific, he says. "There are some very talented young players here, and lads who could probably make the grade," he said. "But obviously, it's very difficult for a club to give up a visa slot on an unknown player." Football Australia declined to provide immediate comment on the prospect of visa exemptions for Oceania-based players. Back in Auckland, Sherman is focused on convincing his players they can pressure New Zealand, whose fans will expect an easy win. There will likely be ample support for the underdogs from New Zealand's strong Fijian community. "There'll be an expectation from the crowd that it'll be a walkover, I'm sure," said Sherman. "If we can actually stifle that, the (New Zealand) players might get frustrated. "We'll be parking the bus to a degree. But equally so, hoping to capitalise when we do have the ball."
NBC News
06-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC News
Fiji amateurs prepare for Hail Mary shot at qualifying for World Cup
Preparing an amateur squad featuring police officers, builders and transport workers, Fiji manager Rob Sherman is under no illusions about the task at hand as the Pacific islanders look to pull off the unthinkable and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Fiji need to beat far-better resourced New Zealand in Wellington on March 21 in the semifinals of Oceania qualifying. The reward for that would be a match against either New Caledonia or Tahiti three days later at Eden Park for a direct ticket to the 2026 showpiece in North America. Upsetting New Zealand's professionals might amount to Fiji's finest moment in soccer, never mind the World Cup. While lacking New Zealand's skill and fitness levels, Fiji can match them for enthusiasm, Sherman said. 'Well, let's make no excuses — it's going to be a very tough encounter,' the former Melbourne Victory assistant coach told Reuters on Thursday. 'I mean, they're professionals and we're a team full of amateurs, if we're honest. 'So we have to accept the fact that it's likely that they'll have the vast majority of possession. So it's how we play without the ball that's a factor.' Fiji are holding a training camp in Auckland over the next few days before they head to Wellington next week to continue preparations. The mood in the camp is good, even without 37-year-old talisman Roy Krishna, the highest-scoring and most-capped Fiji player of all time. One of few Fijians to carve out a successful career in the professional ranks, Krishna is unavailable for the qualifier due to a knee injury. It is a blow for a squad that toils largely in obscurity in a nation renowned for its rugby talent. Funding is tight and securing the services of players can be a challenge. Sherman's squad, which contains several police officers, have proper jobs and not all of them can afford the time off for tours and training camps. Sherman would love to call up players with Fijian heritage, such as Melbourne-born center back Dan Halls, who plays for A-League team Auckland FC. However, overseas-born players would need to live in Fiji for five years to get a passport, which can be a tough sell for those earning a living in foreign leagues. Welshman Sherman, who has worked as a technical director for the Wales, Australia and New Zealand football associations, says more professional pathways are needed for Fiji-born players in foreign leagues. He hopes Australia might loosen tight caps on foreign players in its professional leagues, perhaps allowing exemptions for Fijians and other Oceania nation players. That would make A-League teams more inclined to gamble on untried players from the Pacific, he says. 'There are some very talented young players here, and lads who could probably make the grade,' he said. 'But obviously, it's very difficult for a club to give up a visa slot on an unknown player.' Football Australia declined to provide immediate comment on the prospect of visa exemptions for Oceania-based players. Back in Auckland, Sherman is focused on convincing his players they can pressure New Zealand, whose fans will expect an easy win. There is likely to be ample support for the underdogs from New Zealand's strong Fijian community. 'There'll be an expectation from the crowd that it'll be a walkover, I'm sure,' Sherman said. 'If we can actually stifle that, the (New Zealand) players might get frustrated. 'We'll be parking the bus to a degree. But equally so, hoping to capitalize when we do have the ball.'
Reuters
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Fiji amateurs prepare for Hail Mary shot at qualifying for World Cup
March 6 (Reuters) - Preparing an amateur squad featuring policemen, builders and transport workers, Fiji manager Rob Sherman is under no illusions about the task at hand as the Pacific islanders look to pull off the unthinkable and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Fiji need to beat far-better resourced New Zealand in Wellington on March 21 in the semi-finals of Oceania qualifying. The reward for that would be a match against either New Caledonia or Tahiti three days later at Eden Park for a direct ticket to the 2026 showpiece in North America. Upsetting New Zealand's professionals might amount to Fiji's finest moment in soccer, never mind the World Cup. While lacking New Zealand's skill and fitness levels, Fiji can match them for enthusiasm, said Sherman. "Well, let's make no excuses -- it's going to be a very tough encounter," the former Melbourne Victory assistant coach told Reuters on Thursday. "I mean, they're professionals and we're a team full of amateurs, if we're honest. "So we have to accept the fact that it's likely that they'll have the vast majority of possession. So it's how we play without the ball that's a factor." Fiji are holding a training camp in Auckland over the next few days before they head to Wellington next week to continue preparations. The mood in the camp is good, even without 37-year-old talisman Roy Krishna, the highest scoring and most-capped Fiji player of all time. One of few Fijians to carve out a successful career in the professional ranks, Krishna is unavailable for the qualifier due to a knee injury. It is a blow for a squad that toils largely in obscurity in a nation renowned for its rugby talent. Funding is tight and securing the services of players can be a challenge. Sherman's squad, which contains several policemen, have proper jobs and not all of them can afford the time off for tours and training camps. Sherman would love to call up players with Fijian heritage, such as Melbourne-born centre back Dan Halls, who plays for A-League team Auckland FC. However, overseas-born players would need to live in Fiji for five years to get a passport, which can be a tough sell for those earning a living in foreign leagues. MAKE THE GRADE Welshman Sherman, who has worked as a technical director for the Wales, Australia and New Zealand football associations, says more professional pathways are needed for Fiji-born players in foreign leagues. He hopes Australia might loosen tight caps on foreign players in its professional leagues, perhaps allowing exemptions for Fijians and other Oceania nation players. That would make A-League teams more inclined to gamble on untried players from the Pacific, he says. "There are some very talented young players here, and lads who could probably make the grade," he said. "But obviously, it's very difficult for a club to give up a visa slot on an unknown player." Football Australia declined to provide immediate comment on the prospect of visa exemptions for Oceania-based players. Back in Auckland, Sherman is focused on convincing his players they can pressure New Zealand, whose fans will expect an easy win. There will likely be ample support for the underdogs from New Zealand's strong Fijian community. "There'll be an expectation from the crowd that it'll be a walkover, I'm sure," said Sherman. "If we can actually stifle that, the (New Zealand) players might get frustrated. "We'll be parking the bus to a degree. But equally so, hoping to capitalise when we do have the ball."
