Selective amnesia that derives from player poaching
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What occurred after the Navy vs CH game at Welisara, was totally unwanted - Pic by Amila Gamage
The lukewarm rugby of the first week of the Dialog League second round was garnished with spice, for tongues to wag and social media to yap. The after-match events that following the Navy SC vs CH&FC match is much talked of and hyped with a twist.
The broadcast and social media showed clips that are only part of the story. The Executive Director of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) is on record saying that they are unaware of the incidents as nobody has reported. It is hilarious when somebody says that ‘we did not see’ or that ‘nobody has reported’. This official, a paid servant of SLR, should be aware of World Rugby and “bringing the game into disrepute.”
It is important that the bottom is unraveled and the issue explained than allowing the politicisation of the issue. But for people who are known for playing politics there is no need to clear the air. History has more stories to recall.
A match commissioner is appointed for every match. He represents the organisation with jurisdiction over the match in all matters relating to the playing enclosure, the conduct of the match and the elements related to teams in the organisation of each match. If so, the incident should have been in his report. Is it a case of ‘see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil’? This is and will not be the first or last where selective amnesia has beset an end match flareup.
This incident is important to write about though a bit of a melee is not unusual in a game of rugby. That is what some say unable to identify the woods form the trees saying it is normal in a game of rugby. In a game of Rugby a late tackle and some forms of foul play are a result of the nature of the game but are still punished. But punching, stamping and or kicking a player have no place in the game. That is the difference between normal and not.
On the field there were no such issues that were worthy of being recorded. Neither was there a reason for a post-match melee or a “vali”. There is more politics that is married to the incident.
What happened after Navy-CH game was not resulting from on the field rugby. It had more to do with politics of rugby than politics of government. It is about a complex relationship between people in a rugby community. The personalities involved include those who are players in politics. That is besides the point. What is needed is to look at the issues arising from rugby which otherwise will be forgotten and pushed to the oblivion.
The politics of rugby is nothing new. First the most blamed was Kandy SC and then it was Navy and now it appears that CH is being included in the list. It boils down to player transfers and poaching. This I believe was the core of the problem that led to skirmishes after the Navy-CH matches. It is a point of frustration. A point about which most club patron’s talk: but little done over the years than talk. The absence of a level playing field and buying of players needs to be regulated for even distribution and better competition. What is needed is a framework for transfers. Sport is no longer a leisure pastime. Players are now economic commodities as players are recognised as having economic value and influence.
This point has been a cause for bitching and moaning with little being done. It is not only about players responsible for playing that has come under contract elsewhere in the world. There have been instances where players have had to pay back for bringing the game to disrepute and or being unable to fulfill the contract. Say for example been banned for using banned substances.
The point is not about a skirmish among players resulting from charged emotional behaviour affecting the other and then a fight erupts. This is about a seed of charged emotions. That is why it is important that the plantation is pruned before it becomes a jungle.
There are people or players who need to be sorted out for the behaviour. There are people who are there to take action on issues of this nature. It is the need is to look with open eyes and not a mind that wear blinkers and say things people like to hear.
What is important is the rugby perspective. Questions arising from poaching and or importing are not limited to Club Rugby. It is also part and parcel of the school game. It is in the culture of rugby as applicable to Sri Lanka. The incident is a forerunner with many implications. We have seen deviant behaviour of this nature over the years. Players, Match Officials as well as spectators have been subject of assault and even gun trotting on the field. Are we leaving room for another?
Another reason why this has to be noted and nipped is that in sports, the young players perceive their sports heroes as role models and as a result, they imitate their behaviour. Spectators obtain a sense of self confidence and social identity from their teams. This causes them to emulate the behaviours of these players in order to show identification. That is the wide angle picture that should be seen from this incident. Spectators can engage in violence due to reinforcement of aggressive acts by players, coaches, parents, or mass media. As happened at Welisara spectators as well as some mamas were on the field.
‘There are a number of ways through which violence in sports can be prevented. The inculcation of positive values among players will enhance positive attitude among players and spectators and hence reduce violence in sports,’ (Abdal-Haqq, 1989).
‘Based on the fact that coaches are role models especially for the young athletes, their behaviour in the field contributes significantly to the shaping of the fans’ and players’ behaviours. Coaches who show respect and control their behaviours amidst frustration set a stage where fans can follow suite,’ (Wingate, 2008).
The debate on the incident continues while Kandy and Havelocks won their games with ease and consolidated their position as one and two. The wins by Navy bring up to third position. Army despite losing is fourth with CR at fifth. CH accounted themselves well before going down to Navy on the dot of the last whistle. They will continue to be a challenge for the consolation slots. There was not much deviation in results neither would there be a serious challenge for slots first and second.
Vimal Perera is a former Rugby Referee, Coach and a former Accredited Referees’ Evaluator IRB