FSL shortlist three for Head Coach role
View(s):The now vacant Head Coach’s position of the Sri Lanka football team is expected to be filled sooner, as Sri Lanka Football (SLF) is currently on a headhunt to immediately appoint a suitable contender for the position. The position of Head Coach was held by Amir Alagic before he was promoted as Technical Director during the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving head coach position vacant for over two years now.
Sri Lanka has faired will lately at international stage
A highly placed official of FSL told the Sunday Times that it has received a number of applications, both local and overseas, but they are yet to come to a final decision as to who will be selected for the position. Among the shortlisted candidates it is learnt that FSL has favoured more on three applicants, from England, Spain and Portugal, who are said to have an impressive background.
FSL, as the official revealed, is leaning towards the candidate from Portugal, whose name is yet to be made public, yet the other two candidates too are in the loop. The FSL official said that the Head Coach’s position needs to be filled immediately owing to Sri Lanka’s upcoming international fixtures, which begins with the AFC Qualifiers in June.
Under Alagic, who also acts as the Manager of the Sri Lanka team, who played 24 international matches and ended with a record of one win, five draws and 18 defeats. Sri Lanka was ranked 198 in the world when the then Head Coach, Roomy Packeer Ali handed the reign to Alagic.
Sri Lanka is currently ranked at 204. Interestingly Sri Lanka and Pakistan were ranked joint at the bottom, but Pakistan has moved up by 13 positions to 197 and Sri Lanka was able to move forward only by six positions. As a team, Sri Lanka has been able to improve far better than they used to play at international level, and shows potential to move further up in the ranks.
However, FSL is currently under fire from all directions for failing to amend its constitution to fit in with the country’s sports laws and the constitution of FIFA, the global body. The current FSL administration pledged nine months ago when they were elected to office, that changes would be made and a reelection will take place before end of May.
With this brewing issue in their arms, the FSL administration has failed to address core issues that needed to be fixed, including the appointment of a Head Coach to the national team. Few weeks ago FSL sent back the national Goalkeeping Coach, who was later promoted as Assistant Manager of the team, Amir Doksanaltic of Germany, whose two-year contract was not extended.
Doksanaltic complained that the current FSL administration lacks focus on the development and progress of their national teams and that he wishes to return and work under a new administration if offered. FSL’s structural plans for its national football teams is unclear and as Sri Lanka has not played an international game for months, and sudden concerns have been raised to prepare the national team for a competition that is to be held in three months from now.