Coach Marcos Cesar Vizolli will lead Fair Play Brazil – a team that travels the world to promote goodwill through football and help raise the level of the game in the respective countries it visits – and he will have the services of a talented squad, the names of several of whom are familiar to football fans all over the world.
The most prominent of these are Mineiro, once on the books of English giants Chelsea, former Bayern Munich star Paulo Sérgio, Zé Carlos, Elivélton and Giovanni.
All are in their late 30s or early 40s and have been retired for some years but their pedigrees are second-to-none – each was capped at senior level for Brazil – and there is likely to be enough left in their legs to put on an impressive show.
Fiji Football Association President Rajesh Patel is delighted to be hosting players of such quality and believes the chance to see them in action is one that should not be missed.
“It is a pleasure to welcome the visiting Play Fair Brazil team to Fiji,” he says.
“Over the years we have witnessed the best Brazilian football has to offer through television and in the newspaper. We now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a Brazilian team in our own backyard.
“I’m sure the football fans in Fiji have anticipated watching quality sides here and finally their dream has come true.”
The Play Fair Brazil line-up does not consist solely of players who have retired from the professional game – Marquem Gonçalves, Luis Felipe Silvestre, Vanderlei and Thiago de Lima Silva are all in their 20s – and Fiji coach Juan Carlos Buzzetti is aware his charges will face a stern test of their abilities.
As Fiji are no longer involved in the race to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Buzzetti is looking towards the future and has therefore named ten U-23 internationals who starred in the country’s Olympic qualifying campaign in his 23-man squad.
Buzzetti has also called up Narendra Rao, Rusiate Matarerega and Tomasi Tuicakau, who were all impressive at last weekend’s National Secondary Schools Championship.
But the spine of the squad still features plenty of experience in the form of Taniela Waqa, Maciu Dunadamu, Samuela Vula, Samuela Kautoga, Roy Krishna, Manueli Kalou and Valerio Nawatu.
“Our aim is to expose our players,” Buzzetti says.
“A few of the senior players are not available and so the young talents have an opportunity to step up and play in a major international match.”
The first game takes place on Thursday night at Churchill Park in Lautoka from 6pm while the second will be held on Saturday at Govind Park in Ba from 2.30pm.
Play Fair Brazil squad
Paulo Sérgio
Mineiro
Demetrius Ferreira
Marquem Gonçalves
Zé Carlos
Fabio Santiago
Elivélton
Giovanni
Emerson Pereira
Luis Felipe Silvestre
Claudecir Aparecido de Aguiar
Marcelo Fernando Domingues Rezende
Alix Aeferson P. Silva
Vanderlei
Lucas de Oliveira Jesus
Thiago de Lima Silva
Emanoel Dias
Coach: Marcos Cesar Vizolli
Assistant coach: Ricardo Ximenes de Oliveira
Manager: Marcos Grava Vasconcelos
Fiji squad
Akuila Mateisuva
Krishneel Dutt
Amani Makoe Valebalavu
Remueru Tekiate
Taniela Waqa
Manueli Kalou
Jesse Ilimotama
Ilisoni Tuinawaivuvu
Valerio Nawatu
Zibraaz Hanif Sahib
Roy Krishna
Archie Watkins
Noa Vukica
Maciu Dunadamu
Misaele Draunibaka
Taione Kerevanua
Samuela Vula
Samuela Kautoga
Tomasi Tuicakau
Ratu Gasaubalavu
Rusiate Matarerega
Narendra Rao
Vereti Dickson
Coach: Juan Carlos Buzzetti
Assistant coaches: Imdad Ali and Usenio Logaivau
National team director: Tarunesh Reddy
Physio: Varoon Karan
Manager: Firdos Nabi
For more on Fiji football go to www.fijifootball.com.fj

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