Does the moral decadence in the country pervade our national sports too?
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Fingers are being pointed at SLC officials on utilising funds - Pic by Akila Jayawardena
Almost every sector in the country is caught in a morass of crass indifference. Apart from the fiscal quagmire or perhaps because of it, the body politic in our land appears to lack any sense of moral turpitude, sucking the very spirit of people striving to rise above the insidious machinations in the corridors of power. Over the last few weeks, we have read in the newspapers, the sordid mess of our health system and the cantankerous remark of the Minister who felt that ‘mal sappu’ (funeral parlours) must also have a business to run.
The Sports Minister, it must be said, has pushed a very noble agenda from the time he took office. Corruption was his bugbear. And he has spared no pains to bring it under a measure of control, without much success it must be said. As he laments often, every effort he makes, faces the specter of court action, and that we all know, is a never ending trudge to Hultsdorf, with very little recourse in the end. He even made references to ‘salli karayo’ (rich persons) who run sports associations as it were their own fiefdoms. So, while he probably meant well, he inherited a turbid brief that caused more confusion and turmoil, than bringing the much needed reforms that sports and many other disciplines, need so badly. Let’s take a cursory look at our premier sports organisations as it looks today.
Athletics
Our performances at international meets since of late, have been very remarkable. The lads and lasses have brought Sri Lanka lots of recognition and now sights are clearly set on the world stage. No doubt the Ministry of Sports (MoS) is backing these athletes, but it is important that the MoS and the National Sports Council (NSC) ensure that these sportspersons are well looked after and not abandoned at any stage.
Take the case of Sachini Perera, our record pole vaulter. It is true Sachini cannot meet the Asian Games, let alone the world standards, but to discard and let her work as a housemaid is a poor reward for a national athlete. That is indeed the fate of many sports stars. Could she not have been retained and developed further or could she not explore another discipline or progress to coaching or sports administration. A career goal is essential for sportspersons at the elite national level or one could beg the question, ‘why would these youth toil to excel in their chosen event for years
on end?’
This is where the MoS and the NSC can make a world of difference. Former Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa started on a high but whether it proved sustainable is not evident.
Cricket
The recent special draft audit report makes interesting disclosures. Denials are now on every media space, but the fact is that there is a clear excess in how the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) operates. On top of that, the Pakistanis made the Sri Lanka team look like a bunch of rural schoolboy players. Dimuth Karunaratne looks like a best-before item while most of our top order players look jaded and unprofessional. The coaching staff need to be accountable for this lackadaisical performance and questions need to be asked from the administration, the officials and the players.
While SLC must remain independent, they must realise that they are a public institution and not a private old boys’ club. Merely gloating over the cache of funds that rolls into its coffers and apportioning large sums for comfort tours and personal predilections, is not on the menu for sure.
Rugby
The fun and games that is evident here is no doubt mired in a political charade. There is more rugby being played in court than on the fields of play. Fortunately, we have a vibrant schools season that maintains tremendous interest on and off the field and compensates for the backroom antics of Sri Lanka
Rugby (SLR).
It should have been in the interest of MoS to safeguard the SLR and ensure continuity. One man’s dilemma need not affect the sport in general. Engaging and working with the national association should be paramount.
Netball
The juniors did their thing and partied as we have heard. This is not unnatural on tours but the problem is indiscipline and poor performance where they were overwhelmed by the competition. Such issues need deft handling and not major investigations and excessive penalties. The national body can be issued strictures to prevent such repetitions on future tours.
Football
Now, this is a beauty. Social and mass media are all ablaze that the FIFA sanctions will be finally lifted conditionally. After eight (8) long months, the dire urgency appears to be coupled with the World Cup Qualifiers starting in October. At one of the many media conferences, the Sports Minister keeps referring to Sri Lanka’s No.2 ranking in Asia; where he got that ‘corner kick’ is anybody’s guess. We won’t dare refer to the international ranking. Sri Lanka has not been a serious contender at any stage; that should be abundantly clear.
After a long winded soul searching and a secretive trip to Zurich (FIFA and MoS made no official statements), followed by a zoom conference, the minister now agrees on all counts. So, what was the initial resistance all about, one cannot understand. Preaching an end to corruption, the minister appointed a commission of enquiry which made a showpiece publication, which was presented at a hastily convened ceremony. What happens to that epochal work now?
Football fans know all too well the lead up to the last election, when the incumbent President Jaswar Umar was accused of many fraudulent activities. Umar is a resilient ball player, but so were many of his predecessors. His relationship with FIFA is bandied around and pictures of meetings with FIFA Chief Infantino are published tactically, to create the impression that they are bosom pals. Perhaps they are, but it is not a secret that Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) was run like a ‘one man show’ and many allegations still remain unanswered. Court actions have drained FFSL of funds and this has been a long malady for many years.
Now the latest salvo, is that stalwarts who battled Umar only last year, are plotting a united front for the next election. This is classic local football politics. News of a challenge from Anuradhapura is in fact, good news given the shameful backdoor antics. When you join a bandit what does it make of you? The irony does not seem to resonate with these football veterans. Umar commands a voter base and these heavies are frightened that they are not up to the challenge.
And so we are back where we started. The corruption the minister talked about so passionately will be repeated. A ‘Normalization Committee’ that was strongly recommended by many ardent football observers appears to go a begging. It was a golden opportunity for the MoS to create a model for the long term development of this sport, working closely with FIFA. That will elude us now.
Instead, the MoS has caved into FIFA demands and appointed a three-member committee that will take care of the immediate administrative needs and prepare for an election. The Chairman happens to be President of Sri Lanka Referees Association, while Umar is as yet, its Secretary. So, one does not require much imagination as to how a conflict of interest is entertained by the MoS, something not entirely new in our national sports arena. Come September 2023, we will have a fresh football administration; new wine in contaminated bottles. Sadly, FIFA does not seem to care either. All the misery of eight months will be in vain as far as Sri Lanka football is concerned.
The Sunday Times has lobbied long and hard for transparency in sport. It has repeatedly proposed a web portal where all national associations will be required to carry a performance update based on annual plans and budgets. The public to whom these national associations are answerable will then be able to monitor what goes on and half the work of MoS will be done.
The NOC unveiled a Strategic Plan recently and one wonders if such an instrument was contemplated at all. On top of that, we learn of a MoU with Australia that is taking shape. It should not turn out to be a passage for select individuals to go on vacation Down Under. Australia has a well-developed sports curriculum. Recently, we saw how boldly they set an example by pulling out as hosts of the Commonwealth Games, when their host city was bereft of funds. Short and sweet.
Sport is one place where our ills can be transformed to project the culture and character of our nation on the mend. When that does not happen and we continue to debase those values, decadence is all we shall be left with, for posterity.