Jagannath Sami

Jagannath Sami has been a soccer player representing a premier district side in the Fiji Football Association competitions, a leader of the sugar mill workers, a leader of a farmers' union, a politician and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Sugar Cane Growers Council of Fiji (SCGC) but he is best known for the controversy surrounding his dismissal as the CEO of the SCGC by the military regime of Commodore Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama following the military coup of 2006.

Soccer player, coach and manager

Sami became known nationally as a brilliant soccer player when he, together with three of his brothers (known as the Sami brothers), helped lift his home soccer district team of Labasa from a struggling first division side to a serious contender for the Fiji Football Association competitions in the premier division, in the 1970s. Jagannath Sami's soccer career started when he first represented the Lautoka soccer team in 1972, playing his first game in that year's Pala Cup against Suva. The following year he represented the Nadogo Soccer Association, a second division district team from Vanua Levu, as player/coach and helped the team win the second division Inter District Soccer Trophy for the first time. From 1974 until 1979 Jagannath represented the Labasa soccer side with his brothers Anand, Gopal and Abhilasha. Jagannath represented the Fiji National side with brother Anand in 1976. He was awarded the Jamnadas Gold Trophy that year as the best right winger in Fiji. In 1980 he was elected the Manager of the Labasa Soccer Side and the following year he was elected chairman of the board of Control. In 1981 Sami was elected the President of the Labasa Soccer Association becoming the youngest of a Premier Division in Fiji.