What happened to Lautoka?

After a good start in 2020 Vodafone Premier League with two wins by 6-0 against Nadi and Nasinu, Lautoka’s season turned into a real tragedy. The Bluez had a ridiculous performance in the OFC Champions League as they were knocked-out in the group stage with one point in three matches.

Lautoka played thirteen official matches in 2020: seven in Vodafone Premier League, three in OFC Champions League and three in Battle of the Giants. If we disregard the two wins against Nadi and Nasinu, the record gets even worse: one victory in eleven games.

Ravinesh Kumar was appointed Lautoka’s head coach in the last month and his first official challenge with the Bluez was in a 2-1 loss against Ba. Kumar’s current record is not so good as well as his side won just one game out of the six in which he led the team – the only victory was against Navua in the Vodafone Premier League on July 19.

It is known that Lautoka is missing some important players like Shazil Ali who is injured and Vanuatu international Alex Saniel who is not available to travel to Fiji due to border restrictions caused by COVID-19 pandemics. Anyway the results are unnaceptable and the fans want and deserve more.

Lautoka is surely facing a terrible moment and things need to get better as soon as possible if they want to fight for the national title. Something must be done otherwise this season will be a real failure for the Bluez.