The President of the Fiji Pensioners Association Hari Raj Naicker has passed away.

Naicker has served as a Justice of Peace, Commissioner of Oaths and he is the third person from Fiji to receive a FIFA Order of Merit.

In 1995, he was awarded a 25th Anniversary Independence Medal and in 1998 he received a Medal of Order of Fiji.

Naicker became a FIFA referee in 1975 and served for a record 17 years before taking his retirement in 1991.

Fiji FA President Rajesh Patel acknowledged the priceless contribution of Naicker in the football fraternity.

Patel says it is a huge loss to the entire football fraternity as Naicker was not only an inspirational icon in Fiji but all over the region.