SUVA are the champions of the 2012 Inter-District Championship.
Fiji Football Association president Rajesh Patel made the announcement yesterday after an emergency meeting in Suva. Suva played Ba in the final of the Inter-district Championship at Govind Park in Ba on Sunday. The match was abandoned following a protest by Ba after Suva's Waisake Navunigasau headed in the winner in the dying stages of the second half of extra time.
"Following the Fiji FA board meeting and going through a reply received from FIFA we decided that the match be awarded to Suva," Patel said.
"Suva is now declared the 2012 Courts Inter-district Championship winner and on behalf of the Fiji FA family I would like to congratulate Suva for a magnificent outing at the IDC," he said.
"The goal was scored and Suva won the match by 1-0 and Ba has forfeited the match." Patel added the Ba Football Association had been fined and disciplinary action would be taken after investigations on the incident are complete.
"The Fiji FA board has decided under Article 58 of the Fiji FA disciplinary code, Ba FA has been fined $5000 for refusing to play the remainder of the match and disciplinary action will be taken against players and officials that initiated this saga but first we will need time to investigate the people involved and then put in the disciplinary charges against them.
"We will have to look at all the players and officials and whoever was involved and then look at the severity of their offence and look at the referee's report before taking disciplinary action.
"It's not that we will not take action. We will take action and I can tell you now that this hooliganism in football and fans behaviour will not be tolerated by Fiji FA," he said.
Suva Football Association president Mahendra Prasad said he was confident they would hoist the Lloyd Farebrother trophy. "I am very happy and from Sunday I had faith in the Fiji FA that the decision would come in our favour," he said.
"From Monday I started making arrangements for a party. We have received a permit for a march on Saturday from the Flea Market to Sukuna Park where a presentation for players will be held and then the after function will be at the Suva Civic Centre." Prasad said the first prizemoney of $15,000 would be divided among the players.
"We will calculate the effort of each player in the tournament and divide the money according to that ratio," he said.
The capital side has won the coveted title after 28 years.
* Suva marksman cherishes IDC final goal: PAGE 34