Foreign Tours- Bane of Sri Lanka Football
View(s):By Subhani Hassimdeen — Former National Football Captain and National Coach
There is no other topic in Sri Lanka on which there has been so much controversy, disputes and allegations of abuse than on the subject of Sports. The recent tour undertaken by our National Football Team to Cambodia has come in for much comment and criticism in the local Dailies.In view of the regular brickbats hurled at the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) which continue unabated, accepting and undertaking any invitation from abroad, it is time the Sports Ministry imposes more stringent safeguards. Knowing our poor standards and our ranking, those unrated and unheard of nations are making use of our national players to improve their standards and rankings. Participating in foreign tournaments and reciprocal Football tours in those countries, only helps them to improve their playing standards, not ours. Indiscreet participation with officials using and abusing these trips for their personal advantage, causes more harm and damage both to the sport and to the image of the country. The sporting public are aware of what has happened in the past and the inglorious dismal record of the FFSL.
While the Ministry of Sports has imposed certain conditions and pre-requisites for tours abroad. We feel it is timely to adopt more stringent measures to safeguard our Football and Sri Lanka’s image, by ensuring there will be no abuse of the Football tour by both officials and players.
It is indeed most interesting to note the inordinate enthusiasm of some FFSL officials to pursue foreign Football tournaments and make commitments to participate in various tournaments. Very often, the Sports Ministry approves these foreign tours without proper evaluation. N considering, firstly, will the trip help enhance the sport. Secondly will the participation provide sufficient experience and exposure to our Footballers. Finally, sufficient funds are available for training, nourishment, for the tour, and also they are better utilized to promote the game.
Our National team should be well nourished, thoroughly trained, taught their basic skills, their mandatory duties on the playing field and tested regularly by confronting them against foreign teams on home soil, before going abroad. Players and officials must necessarily prove their worth within our shores, before they go abroad.
It is evident that, by sending a weak and poorly trained team to Cambodia, with the aim of gaining experience through exposure, once again put our country to shame.
It is not a secret that, Football is totally ruined in the country, not because of the players and coaches, but mainly due to negligence in its administration. Exploitation, corruption , tour bane, power-hungry to remain at the helm, is the order of the day.
Looking back at some of the strange actions and steps of the FFSL over the last three-and-a-half years, done wittingly or unwittingly, it appears that, what is necessary at the helm of affairs is not class or super managers, but simply, a James Bond to unravel the mysteries of local Football. A short journey down memory lane would suffice to prove this point.
The crux of the matter is that, FFSL’s top officials are solely interested in tours abroad, and sadly, would leave no stone unturned in their pursuit to wangle pre-paid air-tickets. The need to observe professional ethics restrains me from revealing details of dubious methods employed by certain individuals to serve their own ends. Tour mania has become the bane of local Football and the cause of the downfall of its technical standards. It is an eye-opener that only 10 of the 72-year Football leagues in the country engage in annual domestic tournaments. During the past three years, both the Senior National and Youth National teams have been placed even behind the Republic of Maldives at International encounters. In the 76-year history of Association Football in this country, this is the lowest level ever reached. Yet, the FFSL officials continue to display a false appearance to the Football-loving public, with appropriate news flashes, that we are on the right track to achieve international standards. In the past, yes but today, our standards are a far cry from international level.
If we are to reach at least, the standards of days gone by, let us have a decisive scheme that will automatically give the boot to the pretentious officials, coaches and players who fail to produce satisfactory results, for us to be on par with our Asian neighbours.
As a National player, I have played under many Presidents and Secretaries of the FFSL, who left no stone unturned to provide players with playing gear, playing fields, training, food, medicine and the whole gamut of inputs. All these were made available without aids, grants, sponsorships etc, while most of the expenses, were even borne by the officials themselves or, from proceeds at the gate from matches. They gave both, their time and their money purely for the love of the sport. Many were the benefactors who gave guidance and direction to our Football, without the slightest fanfare. Their love for the game and its consequent labour was not confined to Colombo alone, nor to bask in the glory of a tamasha or, in the fanfare of a cup final.
Regular invitations to foreign national teams or, 1st class European clubs, to play here, were a common feature each, annually. Neither our players nor the public was starved of such international fare. Yet, Football tours and competitions, both at home and abroad, were successfully completed sans grant, sponsorship or State assistance. Such was their unceasing, selfless commitment to the promotion of Football.
But, what of today? Football’s deterioration commenced with the old order yielding to the new. New traits of some of those called to guide the destinies of our Football, have further darkened the picture, causing immeasurable harm to the sport. Today, the spectre of a putrid Football climate is right before our eyes. Our nation’s Football teams are nowhere near Asian standards. We are, in fact, at the bottom of the barrel, scratching and groping in the dark. The blame must lie squarely on those who control Football today. Evidence clearly indicates that top officials in the FFSL are men without an inkling of technical knowledge or competence. Wittingly or otherwise, they have damaged the foundation and all that others have so tirelessly built upon over the years.
A cursory glance will reveal that, not a single “Home International” was conducted in the past three years or, even longer. It is incumbent on the FFSL to periodically provide our fans with 1st class or international fare. The truth is, the bigwigs shun exposing our national standards, for fear of revealing their fallacies. However, a heavily publicised new craze, that of being elected to various Asian Bodies, has recently cropped up in our Football scenario, fanning the egos of those concerned, while in fact, the sport they serve is virtually nailed into its coffin. A sad spectacle indeed and a most unfortunate one at that.
The Sports Ministry should call the FFSL, say in January each year, to submit a detailed technical programme in their annual proposals, for achieving technical excellence in their respective discipline. This programme should also contain the steps the FFSL intends to take to promote Football in schools and in the outstations. Secondly, the Ministry should call upon the FFSL to annually conduct a minimum of 4 ‘Home Internationals’, before they think of participating in competitions abroad. If we cannot perform adequately well on home soil, how on earth could we even remotely, do well on foreign soil
In such a backdrop, for the the incumbent ExCo Chairman of the FFSL, to point an accusing finger at others, make poppycock comments and give lame excuses, to the Sunday Times of 16.10.2016, cannot be accepted nor tolerated. For the simple reason, since he held various top positions within the FFSL, from 1995 to date. Therefore, it is fair and just, for you and your predecessor who miserably failed to develop our Football, to say good bye and make room for fresh blood with passion and vision in the sport, to take over the reins.