2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six populated continents participated in the qualification process which began in September 2003. Thirty-one teams qualified from this process, along with the host nation, for the finals tournament, it was the second time that Germany staged the competition, the tenth time that it was held in Europe. Italy won the tournament, they defeated France 5–3 in a penalty shoot-out in the final, after extra time had finished in a 1–1 draw. Germany defeated Portugal 3–1 to finish in third place. Angola, Ivory Coast and Tobago, Togo made their first appearances in the finals, it was the first appearance of Serbia and Montenegro under that name. The 2006 World Cup stands as one of the most watched events in television history, garnering an estimated 26.29 billion times viewed, compiled over the course of the tournament.
The final attracted an estimated audience of 715.1 million people. The vote to choose the hosts of the 2006 tournament was held in July 2000 in Switzerland, it involved four bidding nations after Brazil had withdrawn three days earlier: Germany, South Africa and Morocco. Three rounds of voting were required, each round eliminating the nation with the fewest votes; the first two rounds were held on 6 July 2000, the final round was held on 7 July 2000, which Germany won over South Africa. Accusations of bribery and corruption had marred the success of Germany's bid from the beginning. On the day of the vote, a hoax bribery affair was made public, leading to calls for a re-vote. On the night before the vote, German satirical magazine Titanic sent letters to FIFA representatives, offering joke gifts like cuckoo clocks and Black Forest ham in exchange for their vote for Germany. Oceania delegate Charlie Dempsey, who had backed England, had been instructed to support South Africa following England's elimination.
He abstained. Had Dempsey voted as instructed, the vote would have resulted with a 12–12 tie, FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who favoured the South African bid, would have had to cast the deciding vote. More irregularities surfaced soon after, including, in the months leading up to the decision, the sudden interest of German politicians and major businesses in the four Asian countries whose delegates were decisive for the vote. Just a week before the vote, the German government under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder lifted their arms embargo on Saudi Arabia and agreed to send grenade launchers to the country. DaimlerChrysler invested several hundred million Euro in Hyundai, while one of the sons of the company's founders was a member of FIFA's executive committee. Both Volkswagen and Bayer announced investments in Thailand and South Korea, whose respective delegates Worawi Makudi and Chung Jong-Moon were possible votes for Germany. Makudi additionally received a payment by a company of German media mogul Leo Kirch, who paid millions for worthless TV rights for friendly matches of the German team and FC Bayern Munich.
On 16 October 2015, the German news magazine Der Spiegel alleged that a slush fund with money from then-Adidas CEO Robert Louis-Dreyfus was used to influence the vote of four Asian members of the FIFA executive committee. The sum of 6.7 million Euro was demanded back by Dreyfus. In order to retrieve the money, the Organizing Committee paid an equivalent sum to the FIFA as a German share for the cost of a closing ceremony, which never materialized. Wolfgang Niersbach, president of the German Football Association, denied the allegations on 17 October 2015, saying that "the World Cup was not bought" and that he could "absolutely and categorically rule out the existence of a slush fund"; the DFB announced. During a press conference on 22 October 2015, Nierbach repeated his stance, emphasizing that the 6,7 million were used in 2002 to secure a subsidy by FIFA. According to Niersbach, the payment had been agreed upon during a meeting between Franz Beckenbauer and FIFA president Blatter, with the money being provided by Dreyfus.
On the same day, FIFA contradicted Niersbach's statement, saying: "By our current state of knowledge, no such payment of 10 million Franks was registered by FIFA in 2002." The following day, former DFB president Theo Zwanziger publicly accused Niersbach of lying, saying: "It is evident that there was a slush fund for the German World Cup application". According to Zwanziger, the 6.7 million Euros went to Mohamed Bin Hammam, who at the time was supporting Blatter's campaign for president against Issa Hayatou. On 22 March 2016 it was announced that the FIFA Ethics Committee was opening proceedings into the bid. 198 teams attempted to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Germany, the host nation, was granted automatic qualification, with the remaining 31 finals places divided among the continental confederations. Thirteen places were contested by UEFA teams, five by CAF teams, four by CONMEBOL teams, four by AFC teams, three by CONCACAF teams; the remaining two places were decided by playoffs between AFC and CONCACAF and between CONMEBOL and OFC.
Eight nations qualified for the finals for the first time: Angola, Czech Republic, Ivory Coast, Togo and Tobago, Serbia and Montenegro. Czech
Kevin Muscat
Kevin Vincent Muscat is a former Australian international soccer player and current manager, head coach of Melbourne Victory since 2013. As a player, Muscat earned a reputation for his "hard man" physical style of play. After beginning his professional career in the Australian National Soccer League with Sunshine George Cross in 1989, Muscat played eight seasons in the United Kingdom with Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Millwall, he returned to Australia in 2005 to captain Melbourne Victory in the inaugural season of the A-league. Muscat retired from professional football in March 2011 after Melbourne Victory's 2011 AFC Champions League campaign, citing his growing frustration at his inability to keep pace with the game. Muscat rejoined his former club Sunshine George Cross for part of the 2011 Victorian State League Division 1 season. During his international career, Muscat represented the Australia U-20 side at the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship in Portugal and the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia.
He represented the Australia U-23 side at the 1996 Summer Olympics. After making his full international debut for Australia in September 1994 against Kuwait, Muscat represented the national side at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2000 OFC Nations Cup, 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. After several seasons as assistant coach, Muscat was appointed head coach at Melbourne Victory in October 2013, he has coached Victory to the 2014–15 A-League Premiership, the 2014–15 A-League Championship and success in the 2015 FFA Cup. Born in Crawley, West Sussex, in England from Maltese descent, Muscat began his career as a junior at Australian National Soccer League club Sunshine George Cross, making his first senior appearances for the club in the 1989/90 season, he moved from Sunshine to the Australian Institute of Sport in 1990 and was awarded the Weinstein Medal as the Victorian Junior Player of the year. He continued playing in the NSL for Heidelberg United in the 1991-92 season and spent four seasons with South Melbourne Hellas.
In 1995-96 he was trialled at Sheffield United under manager Dave Bassett but stayed at South Melbourne. By August 1996 Bassett had taken the helm at Crystal Palace and signed Muscat to the south London club for £35,000. Muscat was part of the Palace team that subsequently won promotion to the English Premier League, defeating Sheffield United in the 1997 play-off final at Wembley. Muscat made nine Premier League appearances for Palace before moving to First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers for £200,000 in October 1997. Muscat remained at Wolves for five seasons before moving to Scotland to join Rangers on a free transfer in July 2002, he was part of the Rangers squad which won a treble of domestic trophies in 2002-03. Muscat's final British club was Millwall, for whom he played from 2003 to 2005. In 2004, he captained Millwall to the FA Cup Final for the first time in their history, he missed the final itself after suffering a knee ligament injury in the semi-final against Sunderland, although the Millwall manager Dennis Wise insisted on him being presented with a medal.
He left Millwall to return to Australia to become Melbourne Victory's inaugural captain in the 2005-06 season. Under Victory manager Ernie Merrick, Muscat, a defender for his entire career, moved to midfield for the 2006-07 season, he remained the captain until 2011. In February 2011, Muscat announced his intention to retire from club football after the conclusion of the 2011 Asian Champions League, his decision to finish was fast-tracked by an infamous tackle he committed in a Melbourne derby on 22 January 2011, which resulted in a season-ending eight-week ban from the A-League. Muscat played out his competitive career in the 2011 AFC Champions League under the captaincy of centre-back Adrian Leijer, despite having referred to the competition as "not all that enjoyable". Muscat regained the captaincy for his farewell match in Melbourne, a 1-1 draw against J-League side Gamba Osaka. Muscat scored on his return to Sunshine George Cross in a 3-1 loss to Altona Magic in August 2011. Muscat represented Australia at Under-20 level at the World Youth Cup finals in Portugal in 1991 and Australia in 1993, at Under-23 level at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
He made his full international debut in September 1994 against Kuwait, went on to make 51 appearances for the national team, including Confederations Cup tournaments in 1997, 2001 and 2005. Muscat captained the national team five times from April 2001 and scored a critical penalty in the 1-0 home leg of Australia's unsuccessful play-off against Uruguay for a place in the finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Muscat was dropped from the squad when coach Guus Hiddink took over in 2005 and played no part in Australia's subsequent qualification for the 2006 World Cup, but was recalled in 2006 by Graham Arnold and captained Australia in its 2-0 Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait. In 2008, newly appointed coach Pim Verbeek selected Muscat in a squad of 22 A-League based players to prepare for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but he did not play in any subsequent fixtures. In 1996, Muscat was sent off in his first season in the UK in a match involving Crystal Palace and Norwich City after body checking Norwich player, Darren Eadie which sparked a 21-man melee where punches were thrown.
Two other players were sent off in the incident. Muscat was branded a "lowlife" and a "nobody" by ex-England striker Ian Wright of Nottingham Forest, in September 1999. Wright claimed he was about to shoot when he heard Dougie Freedman, Forest's other striker, shout "leave it". Wright stepped over the ball to allow Freedman to hit it, but instead Muscat appeare
New Zealand national football team
The New Zealand national football team represents New Zealand in international association football. The team is controlled by the governing body for football in New Zealand New Zealand Football, a member of the Oceania Football Confederation; the team's official nickname is the All Whites. New Zealand is a five-time OFC champion; the team represented New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup tournaments in 1982 and 2010, the FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments in 1999, 2003, 2009 and 2017. Because most New Zealand football clubs are semi-professional rather than professional, most professional New Zealand footballers play for clubs in English-speaking countries such as England, the United States and Australia. New Zealand's first international football match was played in Dunedin at the old Caledonian Ground on 23 July 1904 against a team representing New South Wales. New Zealand lost by the game's only goal, but drew with the same team 3–3 in a game at Athletic Park, Wellington seven days later; the following year the team played a Wellington representative side on 10 June before embarking on a tour of Australia, during which they played eleven representative sides, including three "test matches" against New South Wales.
Of these three matches they won one, lost one, drew one. A New Zealand national team did not play again until 1921, when New Zealand played three official full internationals against Australia, played at Carisbrook in Dunedin, Athletic Park in Wellington, Auckland Domain; the results were a 1 -- 1 draw in Wellington. Since the 1990s, United States college soccer has played a significant role in the development of New Zealand players; this influence began when former Scotland international Bobby Clark returned to the U. S. after his 1994–96 stint as New Zealand head coach to take the head coaching job at Stanford University. Clark began recruiting in New Zealand, former New Zealand national players Ryan Nelsen and Simon Elliott played for him at Stanford; the trend that Clark started has continued to the present. S. A common next step in these players' career paths is a stint in Major League Soccer. S. squad. However, Latham's speculation did not prove true, as only one MLS player made the New Zealand squad for the World Cup.
New Zealand competed against Australia for top honours in the OFC. However, after Australia left to join the AFC in 2006, New Zealand were left as the only seeded team in the OFC. New Zealand qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup though exited the competition after the first round despite being the only team not to lose a game during the tournament; the tournament featured one of New Zealand's most notable results, a 1–1 draw with the world champions Italy. New Zealand drew their other two pool games with Slovakia and Paraguay and finished above Italy, who placed last, in the group. New Zealand finished third in their group. New Zealand were the only undefeated team in the entire tournament thanks to Spain's defeat to Switzerland. In August 2014, Anthony Hudson was appointed manager of the All Whites. Hudson's first game in charge of the national team was a 3–1 defeat away to Uzbekistan in September 2014; as a result of the All Whites playing “just three matches” in the previous year, “the least of any country in world football”, having “seven months without a match” the All Whites dropped to 161 in the FIFA world rankings.
The All Whites went on to win the 2016 OFC Nations Cup, winning four matches with the final being won via a penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw against Papua New Guinea, conceding only 1 goal, from a penalty, in the process. New Zealand’s victory saw them crowned Oceania champions making New Zealand the most successful national team in the competition's history, having won the tournament five times, saw them qualify for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia; the All Whites moved up 54 places in the world rankings in July and achieved 88th in the FIFA world rankings, the highest ranking in three years, on the back of the OFC Nations Cup victory that qualified them for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. After a disappointing tournament at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup where they finished bottom of their group which featured Russia and Portugal, the national team fell 27 places to 122nd. In September 2017, New Zealand won the OFC Final against the Solomon Islands with an aggregate score of 8–3 to qualify for the inter-continental play-off qualifier against Peru, the fifth-ranked nation from the South America's qualifiers.
After holding Peru off in the first leg, they would go to lose 2-0 in the second leg to be eliminated from competition as Peru became the last team to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. New Zealand's long time rivals are Trans-Tasman neighbors Australia; the two teams' history dates back to 1922. The rivalry between the Socceroos and the All Whites is part of a wider friendly rivalry between the geographical neighbours Australia and New Zealand, which applies not only to sport but to the culture of the two countries; the rivalry was intensified when Australia and New Zealand were both members of the OFC competing in OFC Nations Cup finals and in FIFA World Cup qualifications, where only one team from the OFC progressed to the World Cup. Since Australia left the OFC to join the AFC in 2006, competition between the two teams has been less frequent. However, the riva
Roy Krishna
Roy Krishna is a Fijian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League and is captain of the Fiji national team. Krishna joined NZFC side Waitakere United from Fijian local outfit Labasa in January 2008. In May 2008, the talented youngster spent two weeks training with the Wellington Phoenix, but was not offered a contract. In March 2009, it was reported; however he said professional football in New Zealand with the Phoenix was his preferred option because he was not ready to move to Europe as he was still learning English and was not ready for another language. In September 2013, it was announced that he had joined Waitakere's local rivals Auckland City FC for the upcoming ASB Premiership season. On 12 December 2013, he scored the only goal which Auckland City lost 1–2 against Raja Casablanca in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup and became the first Fijian player to score at the finals of a FIFA tournament. On 7 January 2014, Krishna signed with the A-League's Wellington Phoenix until the end of the 2013–14 season as an injury replacement for Paul Ifill, scoring his debut goal on 16 March 2014 against the Melbourne Heart, beating Andrew Redmayne with a powerful drive into the bottom right corner in the 7th minute of a 2-2 draw.
His performance in the match earned him the A-League's player of the week honors. Four days Krishna came to terms on a new 2-year contract with the Phoenix. Krishna resigned on 29 February 2016, agreeing to a 2-year deal that would keep him at Wellington until the end of the 2017–18 season, he subsequently signed a 1-year extension on 15 February 2018. On 18 April 2018, Krishna was named Wellington Phoenix Player of the Year and his fourth-round goal against Brisbane Roar was deemed the team's Goal of the Year for the 2017–18 season. On 2 December 2018, Krishna became the outright leading goal scorer for the Wellington Phoenix, overtaking previous leader Paul Ifill's 33 goals for the club. Krishna made A-League history on 19 January 2019, becoming the first player to score 3 consecutive braces; as of 5 April 20191 Includes OFC Champions FIFA Club World Cup matches. Krishna made his debut for Fiji at the South Pacific Games 2007 and he has played for them in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament.
In 2010, Krishna was called up to the national futsal team for the 2010 OFC Futsal Championship. On 16 July 2016, Krishna was named as one of the three over-aged players of the Fiji under-23 team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, alongside Simione Tamanisau and Alvin Singh. On 7 August 2016, he scored the team's only goal against Mexico. Krishna's goal was Fiji's first goal in the Olympic Games. Scores and results list Fiji's goal tally first. Scores and results list Fiji's goal tally first. Waitakere UnitedNew Zealand Football Championship: 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13 OFC Champions League: 2007–08Auckland City FCASB Charity Cup: 2013–14IndividualNew Zealand Football Championship Player of the Year: 2008–2009 2007 OFC U-20 Championship Golden Boot: – 8 goals 2008 Oceania Footballer of the Year nominee 2012–13 New Zealand Football Championship Golden Boot: – 12 goals A-League player of the week: 2013–14 Wellington Phoenix Players' Player of the Year: 2016–17 Wellington Phoenix Golden Boot: 2016–17 Wellington Phoenix Goal of the season: 2017–18 / vs. Brisbane Roar on 28 October 2017 Wellington Phoenix Player of the year: 2017–18 A-League Player of the Month: January 2019 Krishna is a New Zealand citizen, having gained his citizenship in December 2018 after ten years in the country.
In July 2018, Krishna married pageant contestant Naziah Ali. Roy Krishna – Wellington Phoenix FC Roy Krishna – FIFA competition record Roy Krishna at Soccerway
Mark Bresciano
Mark Bresciano is an Australian former professional football player who played as a midfielder. Born in Melbourne, Bresciano played youth football for Bulleen Lions, before moving into the National Soccer League with Carlton. In 1999, he moved to Italian Serie B side Empoli. In 2002, he moved to the Serie A with Parma playing for Palermo and S. S. Lazio. From 2011, he spent the final four years of his career in the Middle East, first with UAE Pro-League side Al Nasr and Qatar Stars League club Al-Gharafa where he last played in 2015. Bresciano had a long career for Australia, scoring 13 goals, he played in two AFC Asian Cups and the 2004 OFC Nations Cup winning team. His goal against Uruguay in the 2006 World Cup qualification play-off sent the match to a penalty shootout which Australia won to qualify for the first time in 32 years, he represented Australia at youth levels, including the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia and the 1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Bresciano grew up in Melbourne, he began playing football locally and progressed to the first team of Victorian Premier League side Bulleen Lions in 1995 at the age of 15.
He made little impact until his third year in the first team, scoring four goals in four league games and helping Bulleen to the 1997 VPL grand final. Bresciano's reputation began to grow and he was selected in an Australian Schoolboys squad that toured the United Kingdom in 1996. In 1997, he featured prominently in Australia's unsuccessful U17 World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring five goals. At the end of the 1997 season and upon completing high school at Marcellin College, he was offered a place at the Australian Institute of Sport, where he reunited with childhood pal Vince Grella; the players' careers would mirror in the coming years as the two supported their footballing endeavours on and off the field. He and Vince Grella signed with new National Soccer League club Carlton for the 1997–98 season, but Bresciano was forced to wait until Round 17 to make his NSL debut, he played every game for the rest of the year, as Carlton finished second with a place in the finals. Bresciano scored in injury time to win the elimination semi-final and put the club into its first grand final, which they lost 2–1.
He stayed with the Blues for the 1998–99 season, scoring four goals in 18 games, but the club finished well outside the top six. In 1998 and 1999, Bresciano made a number of appearances for Australia in various matches at Under-20 and Under-23 level, including the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, where the Young Socceroos were eliminated in the first round; as for many Australian players, a career in Europe beckoned for Bresciano as he sought to develop his game and further his career. Bresciano and Grella had sights set on a move to Italy, spurred in part by their Italian heritage; the pair joined Empoli in 1999, relegated to Serie B the previous season, became regular selections in the first team. In Bresciano's third year at the club, he scored 10 goals and helped Empoli to a fourth position and promotion back to the top-flight Serie A; the pair appeared several times in the Australian Under-23 team in the lead-up to the 2000 Olympics in friendlies held in Europe. They were both included in the team for the Sydney Olympics, although Bresciano only saw limited action as a substitute.
The following year, his efforts with the Olympic squad were rewarded with a call-up to the "Socceroos." On 1 June 2001, Bresciano received his first cap for Australia in a Confederations Cup match against France, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute for Josip Skoko. He made a further five appearances that year for the "Socceroos," including another match against France in a friendly at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, again replacing Skoko as a substitute. In the summer of 2002, he joined Parma for €7 million, at the time a record transfer fee for an Australian player. "Moving to Parma was a big change in every way, not just money-wise but it is a big club. The structure of the club, the facilities, its popularity means you are under a lot more pressure to get a result," he said following the close of the season, well aware of his profile. Though he was hampered by a series of injuries, his 24 appearances in 2002–03 helped Parma to fifth and a UEFA Cup place. With Empoli being relegated again, he was reunited with Grella who stayed in Serie A with a transfer to Parma.
Setting himself a target for the 2003–04 season of five goals, Bresciano surpassed that with eight goals from 33 appearances, the most of any midfielder in the Serie A, as Parma finished fifth in the league again. Bresciano had claimed a regular spot in the Socceroos line-up, justifying his selection with a string of goals, including a match-winning free-kick against New Zealand and the only goal in a one-nil victory against South Africa. Parma's fifth place qualified them for the UEFA Cup, where the club advanced through to the semi-finals before being eliminated by eventual winners CSKA Moscow, their league performance that year was in stark contrast to their UEFA Cup form, as they were forced in to a play-off to retain their Serie A status by finishing 18th in the league. Bresciano and Grella were excused from the 2005 Confederations Cup by then-Australian manager Frank Farina to allow them to take part in the play-off against Bologna — Parma went on to win the tie and remained in Serie A for the following season.
Both players returned to the Australian squad in September 2005, now under the direction of Guus Hiddink, for World Cup qualification playoff against the Solomon Islands, followed by a friendly against Jamaica where Bre
Lautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi and port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane-growing region, it is known as the Sugar City. Covering an area of 16 square kilometres, it had a population of 52,220 at the 2007 census, the most recent to date. Lautoka is known as the Sugar City because of its sugar cane belt areas; the main Lautoka Sugar Mill was founded in 1903, is the city's biggest employer by far. Built for the Colonial Sugar Refining Company by workers from India and the Solomon Islands between 1899 and 1903, it hires some 1,300 employees today. Other industries include timber milling, garment manufacturing, brewery, blending, fishing, domestic items and construction. In 2012 Lautoka was announced as the administration capital of the western division... The name of the city is derived from two Fijian words meaning "spear hit." According to an oral tradition, the name arose following a duel between two chiefs.
As one speared the other, he was reported to have cried "Lau-toka!". The first known European sighting of the Lautoka area took place on 7 May 1789. Captain William Bligh spotted and charted the coasts of Lautoka while making his epic voyage to Timor, in the wake of the mutiny on the Bounty. Incorporated as a town in 1929, Lautoka was proclaimed a city on 25 February 1977, it is governed by a 16-member city council. Lautoka does not have a mayor but has a government-appointed administrator like all urban centres in Fiji since the military coup of 2006; the former administrator was Parveen Bala, mayor of Ba. A well-known past Mayor is Ratilal Patel, elected mayor in 1967. Lautoka is the only city in Fiji's Western Division, is the industrial hub of Fiji which contains more than 50 percent of the nation's population, it is the headquarters of the Fiji Electricity Authority, the Fiji Pine Ltd, the National Marketing Authority. The headquarters and studios of Mix FM Fiji are located in Lautoka. With National coverage, MixFM is the only English station in Fiji to be based outside of Suva.
Since 1970, the population of Lautoka has grown and in the last twenty years it has changed in structure. In the early 1970s the population was estimated to be about 12,000, the vast majority of inhabitants being Indian, as would be expected considering the early growth of the city was associated with the sugar industry. All of the present Indian inhabitants are descendants of the early girmityas. In 1986 the population was 39,000 and in 1996 43,000, but it is not clear how the boundaries of the urban area were defined at either of these censuses. In 2005 the population including the suburban zones was about 50,000, occupying a total area of about 16 km²; the population of Lautoka including the rural districts is around 80,000. But much of the recent growth of the city itself has been due to indigenous Fijians moving into the urban area; the city is the birthplace of PGA Tour Hall of Famer Vijay Singh and Ghazal and Tabla star Cassius Khan. Port of Lautoka is the main maritime gateway for western Viti Levu and is the second largest port in Fiji.
The port is used for bulk sugar, woodchips and gas. The port is used for cruises, Blue Lagoon Cruises and Nai's Cruises are based here. Lautoka is served by Pacific Sunbeam buses. Pacific Transport connects Lautoka directly to Ba. Sunbeam runs 8 times daily Queen's Highway Service, linking Lautoka to Suva with stops at Nadi International Airport, Nadi Town, Fijian Resort, Sigatoka Town, Abua Sands, Hideaway Resort, Naviti Resort, Warwick Resorts, Beach House, Crusoes Retreat Junction, Deuba Inn and Tradewinds Lami. Rishi Shankar, a Fiji Indian lawyer, elected to the House of Representatives of Fiji 1987. Waqa Blake Fijian-Australian rugby league player, born in Lautoka Nathan Hughes England Rugby Player, born in Lautoka Vijay Singh, PGA Sam Singh, helped build the Fiji Soccer Association in Sacramento, CA USA and worked with the league for 18 years. Lautoka travel guide from Wikivoyage
Harry Kewell
Harold Kewell is an Australian football coach and former player, most the manager of League Two club Notts County. Kewell played for Leeds United, Galatasaray, Melbourne Victory, Al-Gharafa and Melbourne Heart. While at Leeds he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2000. Internationally he has received 58 caps, scored 17 goals, while playing for the Australian national team. A left winger capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or second striker, he is regarded within the media as "Australia's finest football export", despite his career being blighted with injury. In 2012, Kewell was named Australia's greatest footballer in a vote by Australian fans and media. Kewell scored a goal against Croatia which took Australia through to the knockout stages of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the Australian national team's second World Cup, he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Australian Professional Footballers' Association. Kewell has a British passport through his father's heritage.
Former Middlesbrough midfielder-turned pundit Robbie Mustoe named Kewell as one of the greatest players he had played against but questioned his consistency and attitude after his initial injuries. Former German international Michael Ballack has highlighted Kewell's ability and inconsistency. Kewell has represented Australia at the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Australia finished runners-up, the 2004 OFC Nations Cup, which Australia claimed for the fourth time, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, where Australia finished runners-up. Kewell was born on 22 September 1978 in Sydney to an English father, an Australian mother, Helen. Harry grew up supporting Liverpool in English football's First Division. Kewell received his early schooling at Smithfield Public School and secondary schooling at St. Johns Park High School before transferring to Westfield Sports High School. During his time at Westfields Sports High School, Kewell played at representative level for both school and club competitions.
He played in the New South Wales Youth League representing the under-13 to under-15 Marconi Stallions teams, coached by Stephen Treloar, while attending other specialised training with the NSW Junior Soccer Academy, coached by David Lee. At age 14, Kewell travelled to Thailand and England with the successful Marconi under-14 team that had won the state titles; the team played games against the junior team of Milan, as well as apprenticeship sides in England. This was the first time Kewell had been out of the country but provided him his first taste of football in Europe, having attended a Premier League match for the first time as a spectator. At age 15, Kewell was offered the opportunity to travel back to England and trial with Premiership football club Leeds United for a period of four weeks as part of the Big Brother Movement in Australia. Kewell travelled to England with his future Socceroo teammate Brett Emerton. Both were successful during their trials at Leeds, however only Kewell was able to take up the club's offer due to his father's English heritage, which satisfied the visa requirements.
Kewell played for three seasons in the Leeds United youth team. His first match for the youth team was against Sunderland in 1995, he scored his first hat-trick against Rotherham on 7 December 1996. Kewell was handed his first team debut at age 17 in a 1–0 home defeat against Middlesbrough on 30 March 1996. In 1997, Kewell was part of the Leeds United youth-team that claimed the 1996–97 FA Youth Cup final in a 3–1 aggregate win against Crystal Palace; the first goal he scored for Leeds came some time in October 1997, in a 3–1 League Cup victory over Stoke City. Around that time, he was flatmates with Leeds goalkeeper Nicky Byrne, who would become a member of boyband Westlife. Kewell was sent off in the Leeds United-Galatasaray 1999–2000 UEFA Cup semi-final match. Playing in a left midfield role and in attack, Kewell became one of Leeds' young stars in a troop of promising youngsters playing alongside fellow Australian Mark Viduka. In the 1999–2000 season, on the back of his most successful season at Leeds where he won PFA Young Player of the Year was selected in the PFA Team of the Year, Italian giants Internazionale had bid £25 million for Kewell, but Leeds rejected the offer, citing his value to their side.
The high point of this period was when Kewell helped Leeds to the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League in 2000–01. The club, began to suffer financial difficulties and, by 2002–03, having sold many of their best players, Kewell's efforts in front of goal delayed Leeds' slide from being relegated from the Premiership. Kewell's efforts at Leeds United gained him international recognition for his talents, he scored 45 goals in over 180 appearances for Leeds over eight years. Kewell left Leeds under acrimonious circumstances. In an interview given to the BBC shortly before his move to Liverpool, Kewell criticised the staff at the club, stating that the medical staff loved Lucas Radebe and that his teammates had ostracised him. Having rejected more financially enticing offers from Milan, Manchester United and Barcelona, Kewell moved to the club he supported as a boy, Liverpool for the start of the 2003–04 season. Kewell was handed the famous number seven shirt, surrendered by Vladimír Šmicer. Kewell's transfer was controversial because it was alleged by former England captain Gary Lineker in an article in July 2003 that a significant portion went to Kewell's unregistered agent Bernie Mandic to ensure that he ended up at Anfield.
In a related matter, Kewell sued Linek
New Zealand
New Caledonia
Solomon Islands
Australia
Tahiti
Papua New Guinea
New Caledonia and 
Fiji
Vanuatu
Cook Islands
Samoa
