Every year around this time, Lautoka soccer midfielder, Praneel Naidu is reminded of what he is missing out on.
The 23‑year‑old lost his mum when he was seven years old and with Mother’s Day coming up this Sunday, he has something big to make his mother proud – the first leg of the OFC Champions League final.
Naidu lost his mum in 2002 when he was in class two.
Naidu told Oceania Football Confederation that every year on Mother’s Day when the ads start running, he gets reminded of what he lost and just wishes his mum was with him.
Naidu said it has been a hard loss to overcome and he struggled a lot from his childhood days.
But, Naidu says his dad, Permal, who has been a pillar of strength has never made him feel the absence of his mum.
Naidu, who scored the winning goal for Lautoka against Marist FC in the semis says one thing that has certainly helped when he needed a change of scenery or something to keep his mind off things, has been football.
Naidu is not new to scoring winning goals as he also scored the memorable winning goal for Fiji against Solomons in the Oceania Under 20 Championship which sent Fiji into the FIFA U‑20 World Cup.
The first leg of the OFC Champions League final between Lautoka and Team Wellington will kick off at 2pm Sunday in Wellington.
The second leg will be played at 3pm next Sunday at Churchill Park and you can catch the live commentary on our sister station, Radio Sargam.
[Source: www.oceaniafootball.com]
SPONSORED
