It’s now or never for Peter Ravai.
The 18-year-old has been roped in by the Fiji Football Association for a trial and camp later this month. Ravai featured for the Maidstone United under-23 side — a club competing in the National League South — the sixth tier of the English football league system.
He is a regular starter. According to the Digicel-sponsored Bula Boys team manager Anushil Kumar, Ravai is expected to arrive in the country next week.
Kumar said Ravai’s inclusion would increase competition among players.
“We are only looking at 23 players to take to the Oceania Football Confederation world cup qualifiers,” he said.
“It is an important mission for Ravai taking into consideration the amount of talent we have in Fiji.
“Every player will want to be part of this historic trip and this month’s camp will play a critical role in gauging which player is ready for selection.”
He said Ravai was young and had a long way to go given the competition he was involved with in England.
“His performance will determine his ticket to the qualifiers,” Kumar said.
After indicating his intention to represent the country of his parents’ birth, Ravai will have his moment when the squad marches into camp on January 17.
“I was born in Edinburgh but I moved to Germany at a very young age,” Ravai told oceaniafootballcenter.org.
“I lived there for eight years before going back to England with my family as my father was in the British Army.”
Oceaniafootballcenter.org reported Ravai played for Park Farm Rangers FC and Ashford United FC before joining the Soccer Elite Football Academy in 2019.
Fiji is grouped with New Zealand, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Oceania qualifiers which will be held from March 13-30 in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Kumar said logistics regarding the camp this month were in order and confirmed Scott Wara would not be part of the camp.
