Sri Lanka Football must unite for the Good of the Sport!
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In 2015, the Sri Lanka Under-14 Girls' team was airlifted by the SLAF after being struck in Nepal following an earthquake, the football fraternity was united then
The traumatic incidents of the last few weeks that lashed our nation from that fateful Easter Sunday morning, has grim messages for all sections of our society. By that token, Football is a sport that embraces all races of our nation and has, over the years, united us like few other disciplines have done. From Slave Island in the City, to little Rome in Negombo, to the picturesque cities of Kandy and Badulla and the northern bastion of Jaffna, Football has brought our communities together, which perhaps no other sport can boast of on the ground! It is at times like this that we must think anew and do what is right, abandoning the selfish and insular attitudes that have consumed our spirit and our sport over the years.
The media was awash last week over what was described as the ‘Term of Office’, where the Negombo Football League, in a letter to the Minister of Sports (MoS), challenges the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) over the constitutional period of office. It appears that the FFSL is taking refuge behind the amendment to the Sports Law made in 2016, that allows Office Bearers to serve a period of 4 years. Typically, the FFSL has failed to amend its own constitution to provide for this new development and carried on euphorically, under the notion that the extension of office was an automatic condition. An interpretation that is now coming under attack from a section of the Football community. As usual, the FFSL President is prone to hide under the AFC umbrella, as if Sri Lanka Football cannot kick with its own feet. The constitutional amendments long sought by FIFA and AFC, has been conveniently swept under the carpet with lame excuses. Legal experts will bring their own views to bear in this contentious issue, but clearly, there is a lacuna that will take some dribbling by the Ex-Co, when it meets to discuss this matter, very shortly.
So, quite deftly, the ball has been placed squarely in the path of the MoS, with the assurance that the FFSL will follow its ruling and call for elections, if that is the verdict of the highest sports authority in the land. Meanwhile, the FFSL is awaiting the Audit Report from the Auditor Generals Department, which, we hope, will take into account its past reports of major discrepancies, as well as the fraud in excess of Rs 25 million, which, to this day, remains unresolved and conveniently overlooked. Can a dysfunctional organization carry on like this for 4 full years, let alone 2,which is what knowledgeable Football administrators ask ever so regularly? Like what the country faced due to a lapse in intelligence brought about by disunity at the top of the national governance structures, so is the disposition of our Football top tier. Get there by hook or by crook and extend the stay to enjoy the fruits of office as long as you can! Beat your chest as Football lovers and exploit the subservient affiliates who have little choice but pay homage to the powers that be!
The MoS must take cognizance of this situation, even at this late hour. The FFSL must come down to earth and its leaders must realize that you cannot go on fooling people all the time. The FFSL leadership must put aside the rhetoric and summon all Football stakeholders to choose a new way forward. And that, may we suggest, is a united front. Let all the gladiators who claim to be Football pundits, get together, put away their differences and forge a united FFSL. This may seem like a radical proposition, but tough times call for tough measures and difficult decisions that, in the end, will benefit the future of our nation and our sport. We must find a way for the best talent and the most competent administrators to unite under one banner. You don’t need FIFA or AFC advice to do this.
A recent newspaper report claims that the Ex-Co is not satisfied with the team selection of the contingent on its way to the World Cup Qualifying Rounds, commencing in Macau shortly. The Selectors, we all know, merely rubber stamp the squad placed before it by the National Coach. Whether they have seen a cross section of these players in action is doubtful. Those following the National Team preparations say that the performance of the National Team, at a recent practice game against a local Services team, was so pathetic, that the writing is on the wall for our lads on tour.
But, do we really have to go on like this forever!So, let us not say that, “We do not know”, which has become a national refrain. Blaming one another and letting our heritage go up in flames, because of our inane indifference, is an attitude that we cannot tolerate anymore. The people who govern us must be accountable, no less! They must deliver or they must, for God’s sake, GO. That is why this column makes bold to suggest that we must unite, choose from the best we have and help them deliver on their promises, for the Good of the Game!