Fiji Football needs to 'open up' - sports minister

Fiji Football Association needs "new blood" and "a restructure" to help it develop the game, the country's sports minister says.

The Fiji men's national team is ranked 169th in the world and is seventh out of the eight teams in the FIFA standings, behind New Zealand (103), Solomon Islands (133), Papua New Guinea (159), New Caledonia (161), Tahiti (162) and Vanuatu (165).

Youth and Sports minister Jese Saukuru told the Fiji Sun newspaper the national team must improve their FIFA ranking

"It's about time that they [Fiji Football Association] should open up," Saukuru told the newspaper.

"We must get new blood to come in and do a little bit of organisation and restructure of Fiji Football for the betterment of the sport.

He said it was "about time" Fiji FA "seriously look into that".

"Fiji Football needs to be re-organised and refocused on what they can achieve," he said.

Fiji FA executives need to put their acts together on how to grow the sport for the future of our upcoming players, he said.

Saukuru said his ministry was there to support Fiji's national teams.

RNZ Pacific contacted Fiji FA for comment.

In an email reply, chief executive Mohammed Yusuf said he was on leave and the Fiji FA president Rajesh Patel was overseas.

"I will be back in office on Monday and we will issue a press response whilst writing directly to [the] minister," Yusuf said.

Last month, Patel was elected to lead the national football office for a fourth term.

He was first voted in as Fiji FA president in 2011 and could go on to serve the association until 2031.

Following his re-election, Patel told local media he had "major plans to further the development of football in the country".

Meanwhile, the Fiji women's team are ranked 69th in the world behind New Zealand (26), and Papua New Guinea (55) and ahead of Tonga (92), Samoa (97), Solomon Islands (104), New Caledonia (106), Tahiti (107), Cook Islands (108), Vanuatu (122) and American Samoa (144).