Chamath and Lal to replace Manil and Thilina at FFSL
The Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has suggested the names of Attorney-at-Law Chamath Jayasekara and Dr. Lal Ekanayake to replace Thilina Panditharatne and Dr. Manil Fernando, whose memberships from the Legal and Medical committees of the Asan Football Confederation (AFC) were cancelled on April 16.
FFSL chief Ranjith Rodrigo said that they have nominated the names of Jayasekara and Ekanayake but the AFC is yet to make an official response. Jayasekara will most probably take Panditharatne’s place as a committee member of the AFC Legal Committee while Dr. Ekanayake, a member of the Institute of Sports Medicine, will take Dr. Fernando’s place in the AFC Medical Committee.
Chamath Jayasekara
Panditharatne and Fernando lost their committee memberships of AFC, two weeks ago after a meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Six months earlier, in September 2013, they lost the similar positions held at the football world body – FIFA.
Interestingly Panditharatne and Fernando were two of the six past and present committee members of FFSL who signed a petition against the incumbent local head of football Ranjith Rodrigo to the FIFA who dismissed it.
Dr. Lal Ekanayake
The matter was then taken to the Colombo District Court, which issued a restraining order preventing the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of FFSL. It was scheduled to be held on March 22, 2014. The FIFA AFC and FFSL constitutions prevents anyone from seeking legal assistance from a civil court to matters relating to football at national, regional or global level.
A complaint or a petition has to go through an Appeal Committee or a Judicial Body of a regional or the global body. And thereafter if the matter is to be pursued further it should be referred to the civil legal system.
According to reports the AGM was put off without a new date but the case was called again on April 2. At the hearing the FFSL, represented by a legal team comprising of President Councils Romesh de Silva and Dinal Philips and attorneys Hiran de Alwis and Kumar de Silva, has made an appeal to the court, requesting time to respond. The case now will be called again on Tuesday May 6 and according to FFSL chief Rodrigo, the lawyers will explain the constitutions of FFSL, AFC and FIFA and pursue the matter from there onwards.
“The lawyers representing FFSL will notify court that the move made by the complainants is against the constitution. It clearly says that no one can go to a civil court for other matters except for arbitration. This is a clear case of violating the constitution. Even the Sports Act says anyone could make an appeal to the Ministry of Sports if there are wrongdoings taking place,” Rodrigo stated.
When questioned by Rodrigo if this had any connections with the cancellation of the memberships of Panditharatne and Fernando from the committees of FIFA and AFC, he was doubtful on the matter.
“The complainants Mr. Panditharatne and Dr. Fernando were committee members of FIFA as well as the AFC. But last September their memberships were taken off from the FIFA committees. Then at the AFC committee meeting held a fortnight ago, both of them lost their memberships from the regional governing body committees as well. I cannot say clearly the reason behind these axing. But as a sport’s governing body and an affiliated member, we had to inform the AFC and the FIFA of their decisions to go to courts against the FFSL, which directly contradicts the constitutions of FFSL, AFC as well as the FIFA. What happened from then onwards is beyond our control,” Rodrigo added.
Only three FFSL officials, namely Ranjith Rodrigo, Thilina Panditharatne and Dr. Manil Fernando were members of committees of the FIFA and AFC during the tenure of the present local office bearers. But the FIFA website has already replaced Panditharatne and Fernando with new names in the Legal and Medical committee membership. The standing committees of AFC until April 16 had the names of the three Sri Lankans but after April 16 the only name to remain in a committee is of FFSL head Rodrigo whose name is in the Development Committee. The official website of AFC has kept the two slots in the Legal and Medical committees, held by Panditharatne and Fernando, vacant with the positions in favour of Sri Lanka.