FIFA World Cup an inspiration to small nations, a boost to the aspirations of SL Football!
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FFSL Secretary runds the Gauntlet
The FIFA World Cup (WC) has now passed into history. We have witnessed the afterglow of national pride in the victorious nations of France and Croatia. New stars have been born and the big names left to wonder what happened. What is clear is that, while the money is always useful, it is not the end game, when the stakes are as high as the WC. Croatia, in particular, demonstrated that the hunger to win big, with a passionate following of a nation united by Football, is an essential ingredient for success. It is true that many of the top players represent champion clubs in Europe’s big Leagues but, their ability to come together and focus on the dream of a nation was exemplary. Along with the flamboyance of a President who led the cheering from the front, this small nation of 4 million people captured the imagination of the world. The big guns from Germany, Spain, Argentina and Brazil had all gone home earlier than planned, and the superstars were relegated to the humdrum spectacle of watching the victors at play on their TV screens! New precocious talent in the form of Mgappe is indicative of the ethos that Football will attract in time to come!
So, what lessons can we take from one of the World’s greatest sporting events? What does the WC teach us every 4 years? Does it amplify that we cannot even dream of getting close in another 100 years or, does it mean that we can begin to dream. There was a time when some media soothsayers claimed that Sri Lanka was targeting a place in the last 16. What we did get is a place on the FIFA Ex Co, even while we sagaciously sank to the bottom and now cling to a FIFA ranking of # 200. Successive administrations and its leaders were more interested in FIFA and AFC seats and appointments, than a long term plan that would be carried beyond a single term, to a worthy conclusion. Beyond the rhetoric, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) was never able to articulate a long term vision that would take the sport to the next level; SAFF, then SAG, then SEA and then the AFC Championships, before aspiring to greater glory. The Ministry of Sports (MoS) remains oblivious. To them, tinkering with Legal frameworks on ball-tampering in Cricket is more important than a policy and operational framework for all National Associations (NA) including Football, where realistic goals and long term plans must be prepared and structured for posterity! Alas, the remarks we make fall on unfertile ground!
Earlier this year, the FFSL unfolded Vision 2030, a spurious document that was coupled with the journey the WC was making its way to Russia. Not much has been heard about this visionary plan since then, and enquiries made receive vague notions that it will come to pass. Even ExCo members are not familiar with this stratagem, which only the crafty designer appears to ponder when he takes time from his constant travels as a Match Commissioner (MC). Recently, this personal made some very sardonic comments about Football Administration, blaming a previous Marketing Manager (MM) for unsatisfactory services. This Football sage was FFSL’s CEO & Deputy Secretary at that time, in addition to his globetrotting excursions as an MC. Those who are privy to that sojourn are witness to the chaos that reigned, with even the powers that brought this man to the job, not knowing what to do. Passing the buck and laying all the ills on a MM, when the CEO himself was neither here nor there, is unfair to say the least. The Cargills sponsorship, the biggest bonanza Football has received, was solicited at the time and it was also lost during that era, because the sponsor was fed up with the antics within a disunited & disgruntled organization
FIFA & AFC continue to back such delinquent predispositions. And sadly, the MoS has little or no idea what goes on. FIFA initiated the recruitment of the MM, as it now reportedly is supporting the appointment of a Commercial Director (CD) with AFC funding. “New label, same wine,” a Football pundit says! The AFC has also promised a Technical Director (TD), it is reported. Once again, the old story! This column has made reference to the well documented, excellent recommendations of Horst Krieter, which has never seen the light of day. Mysteriously, these documents never surface, when all FIFA & AFC has got to do is get them put to work. But then, there will be nothing new to do and importantly, the funds that must come with it, that is where the fun is!
CD or MM (TD), all high sounding titles, but they are overseen by chieftains who have never run a business or worthwhile organization in their life. Football has been a convenient vehicle to carry their baggage. Having parachuted into the world’s most comfortable sports seats, the passage is assured, so long as you keep the warlords in Zurich and KL happy. (See FIFA Perks in Box). Reinventing the wheel is a fine art at Football House, and accountability is not an issue, as long as you are elected, everything goes! If the task of the MM or CD is to generate revenue streams, what may we ask should be the primary role of the Finance Director (FD). All are hyperbolic titles, nothing simpler will do! So, having brought in close to Rs 50 million under the Cargills sponsorship, the FFSL lost as much as Rs 25 million. No one knows what has happened and where the investigation is going. It is this FD who paid out funds to the same CEO, just before the last FFSL elections. We all know that the complaints made by the designated Vice President overlooking Finances, a respected Football administrator, were simply ignored, both within the FFSL and at the MoS. So much for administrative accountability!
Be that as it may, there are some positive signs surrounding the National team development under a former National Football Captain, Rumy Packeer Ally. The squad is now in training in Japan and Korea, two of Asia’s WC hopes of the future! We hope that some good will rub off on our players! Secondly, the promised visits of International Teams are a good sign, so long as they are not Football carnivals organized to please the pubic and the media. These visits must provide strong competition for our National Squads, so that, we are well prepared to face the tough competition in the backyards of Bangladesh, when the SAFF C’ship takes place in September this year. That result will prove crucial, if Sri Lanka is to establish a springboard from where to prosper further! Let the WC remain a dream.