Mataiasi Stark 
District teams competing in the upcoming FMF Inter-District Championship have been instructed not to include National Under-17 players in their final 22-member squads.
The directive comes as the Fiji U17 national team, under head coach Sunil Kumar, prepares to depart for the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar on October 15.
With the IDC concluding just two days earlier on October 12, the Fiji Football Association (Fiji FA) has taken this step to avoid player burnout, reduce injury risk, and allow adequate preparation time for the young players.
Despite this, it is understood that some districts had already included U17 national players in their final squads.
These teams will now have to make last-minute changes, replacing the U17 players with others from their extended 30-member squads with just two days left before the tournament kicks off.
The FMF IDC begins this Tuesday at 4R Electric Stadium, Govind Park in Ba. Live commentary of all Super Premier Division matches will be broadcast on Radio Fiji 2.
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