Is a decrepit Football Management, the bane of the Sport?
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FFSL AGM in progress
The incessant dialogue these days about football in general and football management in particular, is something that must attract the attention of the highest custodians of sports as a whole, thus placing the mantle squarely on the Ministry of Sports (MOS) itself. The recent appointment of the National Sports Council (NSC) also raises the query as to what their mandate is? The National Olympic Committee (NOC), in a recent press statement absolves itself of that responsibility, suggesting that the buck stops with the National Sports Associations (NSA); fair enough one would say!
Generally, all complaints go direct to the Minister himself and he surely must be deluged with innumerable pleas from sports factions, so much so that he does not know whom to believe! The MOS is a policy maker and not necessarily the executive or arbiter of sports issues which is what SLC is agitating to establish. But as this column argued earlier, the MOS by legislation carries a national responsibility and no matter how it executes that burden, the buck stops there. Successive Ministers have grappled with an archaic sports law that only shackles and complicates matters without any alignment with International norms & its related bodies, who regulate their particular sports; IOC, FIFA, ICC and so on!
In the case of Football, while there has been a continuous flow of funds and bushels of bounty, football standards in this country have been at a nadir for too long. Earnest scribes have written reams of prose to prop charlatans who passed off as great administrators, but the fact is that since the 80’s, a pseudo structure straddled the sport and even took FIFA and AFC for a ride; true even to this day. The overriding intent of high office at FFSL is to gravitate post-haste to the regional and international fiefdoms to feather their nest, often at the expense of the local organization. That is why a FIFA Ranking # 200 must raise the ire of the MOS & its agencies like the NSC, but that is a numeric that does not resonate with the powers that be!
The MOS is cajoled into believing what it hears from the governing body and conveniently slips into that stupefied state of make believe. A trip or two to visit the grand daddy’s of FIFA or AFC dulls the senses and inevitably postpones the day of reckoning! When change finally comes, at it does from time to time, it is for the worse as we have seen over the last few years. So what is the solution one might ask? The answer perhaps lies in the form of top management modern sports bodies require. As in many other disciplines, professional management is at the core of good performance indicators. Sadly, Football Sri Lanka lacks that critical expertise. While we have all heard the adage that a good salesman does not necessarily make a good sales manager, the same could be said about SL Football. FFSL touts a strategic plan called Vision 2030, something even the GOSL has not ventured to conceive. Football fans call it a retirement plan for some people in office. Imagine an administration that still clings to a frayed constitution, an outdated competition structure, a non-existent youth program, a timid commercial presence and a basic fiscal apparatus. No small wonder that football loses its best exponents to other sports, and leaves those who remain, in limbo! These lads have no social standing, cannot make a decent living and finally end up in the scrap yards of society. That betrayal rests very lightly on those at Football House!
That is why an incessant claim is made that the MOS must not neglect this sad state of affairs. It must bring to account people at the helm, dig into the maligned financial transactions over the years & ensure that the funds bestowed by benevolent godfathers are channeled to the most important people in the sport – its players! The MOS has a great opportunity as other nations have done to transform the sport. It should join hands with FIFA and AFC to appoint a Normalization Committee under a reputed local leader, with a select band of top football administrators along with international representatives, to produce a Road Map for Football. India has set the tone for SAF with an outstanding showing at the AFC Championship now underway.
A visionary management approach is paramount in such a transformation exercise and the fact is, that this can be done. But unless the people in authority make the right moves, Football will remain in deep slumber. There is a talk of Football Awards, nice enough for showmen, but without actual substance, it will be another carnival where only the clowns will make the final curtain call.