FSL’s gamble in turning ‘poor man’s game to ‘people’s sport’
For the national men’s team, currently sitting at 205th in the FIFA rankings, the two-spot rise following the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers represents meaningful progress. For stakeholders and football fans, both seasoned and new, this moment brings a renewed sense of pride and optimism for the future of Sri Lankan football.
Sri Lanka is on the surge, but can they maintain this momentum?
Sri Lanka, over the past 12 months, have made this evolution in football with the addition of a fleet of nearly 14 professional players based in Europe and other top circuits in the world. Blending the nearly 20 local talents alongside the professionals, who are eligible to represent Sri Lanka through their parental connection, has given dividends for the island nation.
In eight international outings, Sri Lanka has achieved two wins – against Cambodia 4-2 and Bhutan 2-0 – with three draws and three defeats. With last week’s double-header, where they won by an aggregate of 4-2 on penalties after two draws (0-0, 2-2) against Cambodia, Sri Lanka will qualify for the third round of the AFC Asian Cup, where 24 teams are in fray. Only six teams will make the cut to join the 18 already qualified teams in the mega regional football show.
But many question Sri Lanka’s ability to maintain their steady progress, with the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier Round 3 set to take place in March next year, following the draw to be held on December 9 in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s a great achievement from our standpoint, and yes, this was part of our structured plan to revive football, starting off with the national team. After 12 months, we have attained our goal, and the next step will be to advance and progress,” revealed Jaswar Umar, the President of Football Sri Lanka (FSL).
According to FSL, the present football administration has lined up a series of international matches leading up to the next stage of AFC Asian Cup in March and the upcoming SAFF Cup, where they aim to reach the final. With the addition of six games after advancing further in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, Sri Lanka will play six games against three opponents in a home and away series.
Adding up will be the six games of the SAFF Cup, where Sri Lanka gets to play against all regional rivals following a revised tournament format. But FSL is currently in negotiation with a few countries to compete during the dry months, in addition to their already planned domestic competitions – the Super League and Champions League.
“We are in talks with few countries currently. Only Myanmar was positive, while Bangladesh, Maldives and Singapore declined. Probably Guam and Macau may come forward, and if that’s the case Sri Lanka will have up to 16 international matches in the following months, beginning from October,” Umar stated.
To fill up at least two games per month, on home and away basis, Sri Lanka will have to depend on their force of professional players, who Umar revealed are turning out without a contract or a pre-discussed fee. These players, since guaranteeing their commitment to turn out for the country, qualifying based on the fact that either the mother or father was born in Sri Lanka, have been an integral part of the setup.
This, in turn, backfires the intention of local players who are eyeing their slot in the national team. Adding up to the woes of the local players is the lack of domestic competitions for the past two years.
“Everything is falling into place, gradually but surely. The setup was a challenging one when we took office two years ago, but we had a plan. Without regular funds and sponsorships, we thought the best way forward is to utilise what we have for the best, that’s the national team. It has been 12 months, and with a bit of ups and downs we have managed to trigger the interest of football lovers, spectators, the public, as well as the corporates,” he added.
Following last week’s success at the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, potential corporates have shown interest to come aboard sponsors through various means, which FSL terms as groundbreaking. During the past two years FSL has failed to attract any commercial partner of any sort, while battling with many internal and administrative issues that remain to be seen fully resolved.
“But last week it all changed, I suppose. Not only the football fraternity and the rest at FSL, but also the whole country was seen highly motivated with the team’s success. This has opened many doors, and it’s for the good”.
Through parallel programmes involving the main team, Under-20 and Under-17 squads under a single coach, preferably Abdullah Al Mutairi, who joined in as an interim coach for two weeks, FSL intends to maintain the present formation, style and drive of the national team with more local players in the side. The national squad, which is maintained with 25 players, is currently consisted of 14 professional players and over 20 local players, including potential talent from the Under-20 squad. FSL plans to gradually increase the number of local talents, but only if they are capable of meeting the requirements of the present professional setup.
However, none of these players, including the professionals, are being contracted or brought under a clause by FSL for representing the country, leaving them only with appearance fees, incentives provided for training, meals, nutrition and medics. However, the entire squad is compensated equally for representing the nation, a fact FSL intends to change in the future.
“The door is open to any player, if he can match up with the present lot. Two youngsters from the Under-20 squad have proven that and they appeared in the games against Cambodia. So they are adapting. Likewise, FSL is keen to offer contracts to players, and to succeed that we need the backing of sponsors, and the government, as in some countries.” “These boys have proved a point that collectively we can reach the desired goals. Now it’s our turn, as administrators, to turn things around and work towards achieving what’s best for Sri Lanka’s football. Collectively we have managed to change football’s status from ‘poor man’s game’ to ‘people’s sport’ by today, and this is likely the beginning of a new dawn,” Umar, buoyantly stated.