Football clubs fiddling when the game is burning
Sri Lanka football has a deeper crisis to overcome, but for some it's the ideal situation to fulfil their desires
While football in Sri Lanka is in further disarray, a new debate has sparked among the fraternity itself with regard to voting rights at election of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL). Currently Football Leagues are in possession of voting rights, but the heads of top football playing teams have recently met the Minister of Sports to discuss the possibility of changing the existing system.
The representatives of 24 Super League and Champions League clubs have met Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe earlier this week to discuss the existing voting method. It is reported that the minister has pledged his support for the cause.
But it is unclear of the objective of the clubs, whether they are looking at joining the existing voting lot or whether they want to scrap the League system completely to hand over the voting rights to clubs.
Sri Lanka football is currently being suspended by the FIFA, the governing body for the sport over political interference in the administration of the game in the island. The suspension which was issued on January 21, was confirmed at the last FIFA congress held in Kigali, Rwanda on March 16.
“In particular it was the interference of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in the electoral process of the FFSL, and the deviation of the Road Map that was agreed upon by FIFA, FFSL and the Ministry of Sports itself, which obviously constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated, minutes prior to the motion against Sri Lanka was supported by 197 member associations.
Despite the FIFA ban continuing towards its third consecutive month, little have been done to resolve the issue. FIFA boss Infantino continued in his speech that Sri Lanka will be able to get the suspension lifted ‘as soon as the pertained requirements have been fulfilled’.
To get the FIFA membership reinstated, Sri Lanka football currently does have a clear and legitimate custodian due to a series of comedies. The Ministry of Sports previously, when FFSL was under Umar’s charge, met with FIFA and AFC delegates to discuss the way forward after which the FFSL constitution was amended and adopted on September 22 last year.
However, the Ministry of Sports itself, annulled the adopted amendments to the FFSL constitution through an Extraordinary Gazette Notification, which made FIFA turn its focus on Sri Lanka. Then on January 14, the former President Umar’s nomination was disqualified, a matter that put Sri Lanka on centre of FIFA radar. What ails football now is the lack of a proper administration, the global recognition and its pride. But with the present tug-o-war among several factions within the football fraternity, and the instability caused by the Ministry of Sports due to its issuance of unrealistic gazette notifications and changes to the Sports Act without proper background study and thorough observation, only makes matters more serious, not only for FFSL but other sport bodies too.
With such a background, the Minister of Sports assuring representatives that Super League and Champion League clubs deservingly need to be given voting rights, is an invitation for another trouble. If observed properly, in football, Sri Lanka does not possess clubs, but they do have teams that compete at top level. These teams do not possess a professional structure unlike in cricket or rugby, where they are strong enough to be part of the mainstream.
If the ‘clubs’ can assure that firstly they will turn professional and showpiece their respective work plans for at least a period of one year, then there’s a winner. It’s obvious that Sri Lanka football needs to be fully restructured, if the country is to move ahead, starting off with the regional contenders.
But making use of the situation to please their needs is not the best option, be it any segment within the football fraternity or the Ministry of Sports, who has been the biggest contributor to the debacles Sri Lanka sports is currently in.
With the upcoming FFSL election AGM is set to take place on or before May 31, former Presidents of FFSL have urged the Ministry of Sports to take charge of football, by placing a Competent Authority in place until the next election. But with time running out, the only option left is the government intervention to initiate a dialogue with FIFA through a nominated representative.
As for now FFSL has just three active members in its Executive Committee – two Vice Presidents and the Deputy Secretary General (Technical) – while the President, Sri Ranga is under remand custody until May 12 by order of the Vavuniya High Court. With four members resigning weeks after the January 14 election AGM – Secretary General, Treasurer and two Vice Presidents – FFSL lost the quorum then, and by now they have lost the way.
The present FFSL administration, elected on January 14, have no say with FIFA or the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), as the global and regional bodies still recognise former President Jaswar Umar as its legitimate representative. Even Umar has left the country and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
According to the conditions of FIFA, Sri Lanka should forward an ‘official and written exemption from the current national sports law to be legally granted to the FFSL/Sri Lankan football in order to guarantee the recognition and implementation of the newly adopted FFSL Statutes on September 22 of 2022’.
FIFA further explains that ‘the FFSL administration to be fully in-charge of the FFSL’s daily affairs until a new FFSL Executive Committee is elected because the elections of January 14, 2023 are not recognised by either FIFA or the AFC’, according to the official FIFA website.
The FIFA has clearly instructed that ‘elections for a new FFSL Executive Committee to be organised as per the newly adopted FFSL Statutes on September 22 of 2022, especially by secret ballot and for a four-year mandate’.
But, with the situation worsening, who will father the lost football child is the biggest question.