The Saga continues…
View(s):Am I insane to betray my country, asks Shammi Silva
Pic by Akila Jayawardana
The elected President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Shammi Silva furiously slammed the country’s Minister of Sports, Roshan Ranasinghe for ruining the reputation of cricket, by unnecessarily exploiting politics into the sport. Silva, who has been accused of corruption, as well as ‘influencing’ the International Cricket Council (ICC) to impose an indefinite global suspension on Sri Lanka, categorically denied any involvement from his part.
“Am I insane to do that,” he told journalists in Colombo yesterday at a suddenly-arranged press conference organised.
Silva revealed that he never visited India since the Indian Premier League (IPL) final held in Ahmedabad on May 29 earlier this year, and denied the fact that he neither had any contact with the ICC on Friday, when Sri Lanka was handed a global suspension.
“I was in Colombo at the said time”.
The alleged corruption charges against the current SLC administration was brought up by Minister Ranasinghe following a after a 260-page government audit report highlighted extensive corruption in Sri Lanka’s failed ICC T20 World Championship held in Australia during November 2022.
But Silva was adamant and defied of any wrongdoings as alleged by the country’s custodian of sports affairs.
“If there are charges, prove them and take legal action,” he said.
The crossroad between the Sports Minister and SLC hierarchy had been ongoing for months with most of the allegations being charged by the former against the latter. An intense coverage favouring the Minister has taken the spotlight on social media platforms, while SLC has been cautious with their responses. But yesterday Silva seemed to have lost his tranquil as SLC released documents revealing the amounts it doled out in favour of the state, notably the National Sports Fund upon requests from the Ministry of Sports. According to the statements and release invoices, the culminated amounts released by SLC to the National Sports Fund and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, sum up to Rs. 299 million, which are accounted.
However after a week full of drama SLC was suspended on Friday, after Sri Lanka’s parliament unanimously voted the board to resign over corruption allegations made by Ranasinghe amounting millions of dollars. The ICC stated that it will decide the suspension conditions later, when its committee sits for a meeting from November 18 to 21 in Ahmedabad.
Silva also revealed that SLC has the possibility to lose an ICC grant of US$ 2.4 million to develop selected venues if the intended ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is being taken away from Sri Lanka, as hosts. It was not revealed if the ICC suspension would have an effect on Sri Lanka hosting the event in January 2024. However, according to Silva, the ban was anticipated long ago and it was held up for many months upon pleadings made by the SLC hierarchy.
“In May, Mr. Imran Khwaja visited Sri Lanka to inspect political interference. He met us, the SLC officials, the Minister of Sports as well as His Excellency the President during the tour. Mr. Khwaja warned us of a possible action, if the situation is not properly controlled”.
“I went for the ICC meeting held during the second week of July and the ICC presented me with the report which said Sri Lanka is totally marred by political interference,” Silva revealed. On contrary, Minister Ranasinghe told reporters in Colombo yesterday that Khwaja was pleased after the meeting and that he was convinced that Sri Lanka Cricket was free from political meddling.
“The ICC would have banned Sri Lanka back then, but I assured them that issues could be resolved. Then after four months comes in an interim committee, to which we had no answer to ICC. They (ICC) knew right throughout of the minister’s interference and the amount of harassment he put on SLC, calling us thieves,” a fumed Silva said.
Silva is scheduled to leave for the ICC meeting on November 21, the last day of the four-day meeting to convince the global body to restore its membership. The suspension, if continued, may result in Sri Lanka losing huge sum which comes as membership grant, ICC Under-19 World Cup and the intended ICC General Meeting amounting to almost US$ 50million.
The Board currently has a balance of US$ 30million in their kitty, and responding to a question as to why SLC officials are hanging on to power under tremendous pressure, Silva stated: “To save the balance in our kitty, we know they are after this money and lay the blame on us as thieves. They are the actual ones.”
How can ICC condemn us, questions Minister Ranasinghe
Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
An irate Minister of Sports, Roshan Ranasinghe, revealing his bureau’s plan to resurrect the global suspension imposed by International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sri Lanka, told reporters in Colombo that he is currently seeking legal advice before making further moves.
Minister Ranasinghe, who met journalists at a hurriedly arrange press conference questioned the base behind ICC’s decision to ban Sri Lanka, and questioned as to why Sri Lanka was ‘condemned’ in this fashion, in the midst of his exercise of eliminating corruption from sports, notably of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
“I got to know of the ban through media reports,” he revealed, of the sudden suspension imposed by the ICC on Friday night. “When that occurred, I and another parliamentarian received information that SLC officials were celebrating in a room of a five star hotel in Colombo”.
“How can they betray a country like that,” he charged, adding that the SLC President Shammi Silva had influenced the global suspension through ‘veto powers’ vested on him.
Ranasinghe also accused his fellow parliamentarians as well as a senior advisor to the President of the country, Ranil Wickremesighe, for ignoring the reports provided by his ministry and standing across his path of cleansing SLC from corruption.
The Sports Minister and SLC were at crossroads after a 260-page government audit report highlighted extensive corruption in Sri Lanka’s failed ICC T20 World Championship held in Australia during November 2022.
“I have followed the proper protocols so far and my choices were limited when appointing the interim committee last week. Most past players I spoke with told me to take the initiative and they will support me,” revealed Ranasinghe on the reason why he appointed his Chairman of the National Sports Council, Arjuna Ranatunga as head of the Interim Committee.
“I included individuals who are experts in their relevant fields, such as legal, finance and other areas. As for cricket, I was left with Arjuna Ranatunga, who is a well-respected player and the country’s only World Cup-winning captain,” he said.
However, the Ranasinghe appointed committee lasted less than a day, after the ousted SLC members headed by Silva turned the decision over for 14 days through the Court of Appeal. The dispute reached the parliament, which allocated last Thursday to debate on the topic of sending out the SLC officials, which was unanimously adopted in the house. Sri Lanka played their last World Cup game against New Zealand the same day, and after suffering their seventh defeat the team returned home early morning the following day. It was later that day the ICC handed an indefinite global suspension on Sri Lanka.
“This is unfair. I have not been officially informed (by the ICC) as the Minister of Sports. According to the ICC constitution itself, the process was entirely wrong. There’s something or someone powerful than the sport,” the Minister told reporters. When questioned on what the possible and immediate solution should be to restore the membership of Sri Lanka with ICC, the Minister stated that the global cricket body had not presented a ‘proper reason’ for his ministry to respond.
“We are still unaware on what grounds Sri Lanka was banned. The first step would be to question the ICC as to why they did this (suspension) and write to their (ICC) Dispute Resolution Committee”.
In addition Minister Ranasinghe revealed that his legal team would produce their case to the stay order issued by the Court of Appeal, to get the decision reverted. If the 14-day stay order could be lifted momentarily, Ranasinghe confirmed that he would reinstall the Ranatunga-led interim committee to run the country’s cricket affairs, until the alleged ‘corruptors are dealt with and cricket is brought back to its own feet’.
If not, Ranasinghe added that, he and his ministry would left with no other choice than to reach the Courts of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) located in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“We are on the right path, and our mission is to free sports, especially cricket, which is treated as the second religion by many Sri Lankans, from corruption and malpractices,” intoned Ranasinghe, referring SLC officials and others who stand across his effort, as ‘betrayers of the country’. Sri Lankan cricket has been entangled in multiple allegations of implant and match-fixing over the years, with the ICC itself penalising several players and officials. Sri Lanka last fact a similar situation during 2014 and 2015, resulting in being demoted to observer status at ICC, despite remaining as a member.
SLC was run by an interim committee headed by former cricketer Sidath Wettimuny then. Previously interim committees were installed in 2008, headed by Arjuna Ranatinga, S. Liyanagama from 2008 to 2009 and former spinner D.S. de Silva from 2009 to 2012. But ICC recognised SLC as a full member on all occasions.