ROY KRISHNA GOLDEN BALL AWARD WINNER

DEDICATION and discipline is the key to becoming the best in whatever discipline you choose. These are the sentiments shared by Roy Krishna to young Fijians aspiring to be successful sportspeople. When you have this, Krishna said one could achieve their highest potential.

“I feel that commitment is something that is necessary to be at the top of your game,” he said.

For Fijian soccer players hoping to be successful in their games, he said they should train and play every day.

“It is important because you keep improving your performance the more you play.

“Someone who has played more hours will definitely be better off than someone who doesn’t play regularly.

“Do the hours and get better. Take up lessons if you lack in certain areas. No one becomes a football sensation overnight.

“It takes lots of time to reach the top level. Fiji football has regular clinics that everyone who is keen on improving their skills and performance should take advantage of.” Looking back he said some of the highlights of his career as a soccer player was when he captained the Fiji Team at the 2016 Olympic Games, scoring the first goal for Fiji and in a match against Mexico one of the top teams in the world at the Olympics Games and scoring at the Club World Cup, this was when he played for Auckland City in a match against Raja Casablanca in 2013.

With the COVID-19 restrictions, Krishna said they had to be cautious all the time.

“When I first went to India in 2019 to play it was pretty straightforward, catch a number of flights and you arrive at your final destination.

“This time around it was very challenging. I had to first fly to Auckland then quarantine for two weeks, then wait one week for my flight to Sydney.

“I had to quarantine two days there before I boarded my flight to Delhi. In Delhi, I had to quarantine for a day before flying to Goa my final destination.

“When I got to Goa I had to quarantine again for another 14 days. Then I could join the league bubble.

“In the bubble, we were restricted to one section of the resort we were staying in. We had a dedicated dining hall and a gym.

“Those were the only two areas we could go apart from our rooms. No one outside our team could enter our bubble nor were we allowed to go out to public areas such as the pool or the beach.

“We could only leave the resort to go for training daily and for matches when we had them. We had to wear masks, practise safe distancing and sanitise constantly.

“Even on our way back to Fiji, we had to quarantine for three days before boarding our flight then quarantine for 14 days.

“We’ve just come out of quarantine and finally it feels like we are out in the open and we feel free.”