VODAFONE Fiji football head coach Christophe Gamel does not believe that the national side is the favourite to win the gold medal at the Pacific Games this year despite its recent wins against New Caledonia and Mauritius.
According to Gamel, the Solomon Islands and Tahiti were the top seeds but Fiji was gaining momentum.
Gamel said time constraints would be the biggest hurdle to overcome to prepare the best combinations for the regional event.
“We are not the favourite for the Pacific Games,” he said.
“Still Tahiti and the Solomon Islands are at the top but step by step we are going a bit nearer to disturb them to try to get a medal.
“I hope to get the players one week before the Pacific Games but I want to have more time and I will discuss this with our president Rajesh Patel.
“The door is still open for the Fiji team as it is a selection process. I have a base of players who are performing.
“There is consistency and continuity in the process and I believe in that. All the coaches of national teams say the same thing that if there is no consistency and no continuity in the process, you can’t achieve anything.”
Fiji has won the Pacific Games football gold medal twice since its inception in 1963.
The side finished first at the 1999 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea beating the Solomon Islands in the final via a penalty shoot-out and then won the gold medal at the 2003 edition at the ANZ Stadium in Suva with cousins Manoa and Esala Masi scoring a goal each in the 2-0 victory against New Caledonia in the final.
Gamel said this year’s Pacific Games would be a lot tougher with the growth in the level of football in the Oceania region.
