Roy Krishna: 'We've got potential in the Pacific islands but we can't get out there'

It’s hard to put a finger on just why they do, but A-League recruiters seem to have a big problem with Asian players.

Of the 50 visa spots available across the competition, just one is taken up by a player from Asia. And that solitary place could soon be gone, given Kim Seung-Yong is out of favour at Gosford.

It would be unfair to single out Asia as the A-League’s black hole though, because the competition spans two confederations and it has proved just as adept at ignoring Oceania.

The problem with Asia has nothing to do with the talent on offer. Most Wanderers fans wouldn’t have traded one Shinji Ono for ten Robbie Fowlers, or a handful of Alessandro del Pieros. It’s a different story with Oceania, where player development is severely hindered.

It’s an issue that bugs Roy Krishna. The Wellington Phoenix striker is the first Fijian to play in the A-League, and is Oceania’s only (non-Kiwi) representative in the competition.

“In Fiji, or any other Pacific country, we’ve got potential there. The Solomons are really good. Vanuatu and PNG are coming up. And Tahiti, you know, they went to represent Oceania at the Confederations Cup.

“There’s a lot [of talent] back at home, and even in the other Pacific islands, but we’re not lucky enough to get out of there. So it just disappears in the islands.”

If you want an idea of just how tough Pacific island footballers have it, cast your mind to a few specks of land on the other side of the globe.

The Faroe Islands, which has a much smaller population than Fiji, are currently battling it out with the likes of Romania, Hungary and Greece for a spot at Euro 2016. They recently beat the Greeks 1-0 to move above them in the group. Their goal difference after four matches is a respectable -4.

Not bad for a country with fewer people than Wagga Wagga and it shows how playing against better opposition can lift your game, something which helped Australia escape the Oceania section.

Compare this with Fiji, which with close to 900,000 people is one of the biggest countries in Oceania. Yet Fiji haven’t played an international match in two and a half years. They won’t play again until the South Pacific Games in July and on the rare occasions they do get to play, it’s only ever against the likes of New Zealand, Tahiti and American Samoa.

“I can see in Fiji there’s lot of potential, but we just need guys to go out there and be playing internationally.”

Krishna says Fifa could do more to turn things around in the Pacific. But he also wonders about the priorities of the Fiji Football Association, which has been focused on getting the country’s youth team into next year’s under 20s World Cup in New Zealand. It’s a strategy that has worked for the young Fijians, but, Krishna says, has come at the expense of the senior team.

“I think we’ve got potential to beat some of the overseas teams, but you just need to spend money on our team. We have the South Pacific Games, but apart from that, I’ve got no clue when are we getting our next game.”

The focus for Krishna then is on club football, and some impressive things are starting to happen on that front. Wellington are enjoying their best start to a season, and last weekend smashed Melbourne City 5-1.

Three weeks ago, Krishna was named in the Phoenix’s starting line-up and he’s beginning to make the spot his own. He has scored in consecutive games and has the best conversion rate – 66.66% – of any multiple scorer in the competition.

He’d have another goal to his name if not for his generosity. In that match against City, Krishna declined a penalty shot so Nathan Burns could complete a hat-trick.

If you’re wondering why a relative unknown like Krishna would be on spot kick duties, it all comes back to Kevin Muscat. The Victory man’s miss in the 2010 grand final against Sydney still haunts coach Ernie Merrick.

“He’s had us practising them in training. I’m not saying I’m the best, but we had a competition and I won the competition, pretty much.”

Krishna started playing football as a 12-year-old on Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second island, and took to the game quickly. At 19, he was playing in the national side, and in a match against the All Whites, was spotted by talent scouts from a club in Auckland.

While Krishna has attracted attention from the likes of PSV Eindhoven, Leeds and Derby County, it was only in January this year that he signed with Wellington. Twenty-six might seem a late age to be going pro, but in the context of the Pacific, it makes sense. And, he says, it’s been an eye-opening experience.

“When I first came here, I just passed the ball and then I stopped running. They [players like Burns and Michael McGlinchey] have taught me when I pass the ball to keep moving, keep creating space for yourself and also for the team mates.”

Merrick, who signed the Fijian, has had plenty to teach him too, particularly on movement, positioning and timing. It’s work that is starting to pay off.

“I think for me it’s good, starting in the team,” Krishna says. “I just need to keep working hard and look forward.”