Kautoga has put pen to paper on a deal to play for Vanuatu side Amicale and is expected to depart his homeland sometime this week to link up with his new team mates.
He joins a growing list of Labasa players to have picked up contracts in the Oceania region, following hot on the heels of Pita Bolaitoga, Maciu Dunadamu and Taniela Waqa, who were all snapped up by Papua New Guinea club Hekari United, and Roy Krishna, who rejoined his New Zealand side Waitakere United after starring in Labasa’s title win at the 2011 Courts Inter District Championship.
Kautoga is delighted to have become the latest Labasa success story and is keen to make the most of the opportunity.
“This is a great chance for me to progress as far as my football career is concerned,” he says.
“I would like to thank the Amicale officials for having faith in me. I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead and hope to make a name for myself.”
An agreement is in place as part of Kautoga’s transfer for the Fijian import to rejoin Labasa once he has completed his commitments with Amicale, who finished runners up in the 2011 O-League.
The Reds are attempting to follow up their previous O-League success in this season’s campaign but their progress was derailed somewhat this month with a 3-2 loss to Auckland City in New Zealand and they now face a tough battle to keep their chances of a final berth alive.
As well as signing Kautoga, coach Luke Eroi has added further to his squad by securing Vanuatu-based players Roddy Lenga and Jean Nako Naprapol, a midfielder and forward respectively.
The Vanuatu champions lie in second place on the Group B ladder but now trail leaders Auckland by five points. They must get as much as they can from their remaining matches against Hekari, Koloale and Auckland.
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