Lankan delegates attend AFC administration and management seminar
View(s):Ranjith Rodrigo, the president of Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) called upon the local delegates attending the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Administration and Management Seminar at AFC House in Malaysia, to apply the knowledge gained at the two-day workshop to boost football in their homeland.
He spoke to 55 FFSL officials who are undergoing the seminar which covers a wide range of topics including, technical development, competition management, refereeing, social responsibility, marketing and international relations.
The Sri Lankan delegation with President FFSL Ranjith Rodrigo at the AFC House
Sri Lankan football has recently, as Rodrigo remarked, lost its glamour. The Sri Lanka football team is currently ranked 166th in FIFA’s 207-strong confederation having had disappointing campaigns in the qualifiers for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup and the 2013 SAFF Championship.
In AFC club competition, the Sri Lanka Army Sports Club lost heavily in all three of their matches in the group stage for 2013 AFC President’s Cup, with Sri Lanka not having had a representative in the final stage of the competition since 2007 when Ratnam SC missed out on a place in the final after losing on penalties to eventual champions Dordoi Dynamo.
“Football has lost its glamour in Sri Lanka and we know that proper football administration at all levels in our country is very important. We must analyse the past to determine what we need to do for the future,” Rodrigo said.
“You must each use the resources you obtain here in the best way for us to better develop football in Sri Lanka and if we can succeed in contributing to this development then we can be proud of our football and proud of our contribution to this achievement.”
“Make the most of this course and use the knowledge to help develop the game on and off the pitch. What we do to develop the game off the ground helps and encourages our children to achieve their best on the ground and this can only be good for the future of the game in our country.”
The AFC Administration and Management Seminar is one of many initiatives introduced as part of AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa’s vision in fostering stronger relations with all the Confederations’ Member Associations as well as providing them with the resources to encourage the development of the game in their own country.