Girmit Soccer Tournament (Fiji)
Encyclopedia
Girmit Soccer Tournament is a football
tournament organised in Fiji
by the Fiji Football Association
. The tournament was first held in 1979 to commemorate the centenary of the arrival of India
ns in Fiji, under the indenture system
, known as girmit by the Fiji Indians.
The first tournament ended in controversy when Labasa
was awarded the Girmit Cup when Ba
defaulted the final game. The tournament was revived in 1999 when Nadi beat Ba in the final by one goal to nil.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
tournament organised in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
by the Fiji Football Association
Fiji Football Association
The Fiji Football Association is the governing body of football in Fiji. It came into existence in 1961, replacing the ethnically based Fiji Indian Football Association...
. The tournament was first held in 1979 to commemorate the centenary of the arrival of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns in Fiji, under the indenture system
Indian indenture system
The Indian indenture system was an ongoing system of indenture by which thousands of Indians were transported to various colonies of European powers to provide labour for the plantations...
, known as girmit by the Fiji Indians.
The first tournament ended in controversy when Labasa
Labasa F.C.
Labasa F.C. is a Fijian football team playing in the first division of the Fiji Football Association competitions. It is based in Labasa, which is the largest town on the second largest island, Vanua Levu, in the Fiji group. Their home stadium is Subrail Park...
was awarded the Girmit Cup when Ba
Ba F.C.
Ba F.C. is a Fijian association football team playing in the premier division of the Fiji Football Association competitions. It is based in Ba. They are nicknamed Men in Black. Their home stadium is Govind Park...
defaulted the final game. The tournament was revived in 1999 when Nadi beat Ba in the final by one goal to nil.