KORNERKICK makes one last lament for Football!
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Rukmal Perera was the only volunteer official from Sri Lanka at the FIFA World Cup in 2006
On the 17 September, Rukmal Perera, one of the cornerstones of Sri Lanka Football was laid to rest. He had gallantly fought till the bitter end to recover from a debilitating illness but the battle had taken its toll and the once lovable and domineering figure had played his last game. In more ways than one, Rukmal came to epitomize the fate of Sri Lanka Football; a lot of promise but a victory cut short by myriad distractions and a fateful disposition that was bereft of goals in destiny’s ruthless summation. Many would remember the cheerful goliath on most match days, both here in the insecure playgrounds of the hinterland as well as in International World Cup arenas of the largest cities, striding purposefully to do what he did best; enjoy the game in all its allure. But for himself and his team that was no recompense or reward beyond the miserable morsels that were strewn in the labyrinth of Football House. That is the crucible of Sri Lanka Football; forlorn, foreclosed and forgotten by the powers that be at the Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic Committee; harbingers of popular sports in our island!
KornerKick has no more to say; the least said the better it bemoans! It will make one last epitaph as it must, having made many salvos from all corners of the sport and from where it was played, administered and dismembered over the years! Even the mass media appears to have no space for this sport and when it does surface from time to time, it is to report a scandal that has erupted or an episode that must be dissected. The DCL Fans Group keeps one abreast of what little goes on and its Save Sri Lanka Football feature best summarizes the lament that emanates from many a bleeding heart. Football activities in the island continue in the breach with youth academies filling in for the bankruptcy of national programs and a weather beaten FA Cup run on the benevolence of sponsors who prop up the sport on humanitarian tendencies. Football carnivals sprout up from time to time and hurried competitions are organised by die-hard enthusiasts to whom Football is a way of life! When the National Team is goaded into Internationals they can hardly encounter, it is a foregone conclusion before the game begins; defeat is a never ceasing torment. The morbid FIFA ranking tells the story but none in our World of Sports is the wiser. Life goes on, FIFA & AFC provide the greenbacks that keeps the terminal state of the sport from running aground even while the regular pilgrimages go on and on, regardless of fans or fanatics, youth or veterans!
The FFSL President believes that the state must adopt the sport and follow the examples that abound the world over! But he must realize that cricket occupies the national psyche in absolute splendor. More is written about Malinga’s golden locks than any football game at any level. So if the aging President is looking for a succor, relying on government coffers will only add injury to insult. And if the President is dribbling in cuckoo land the Secretary General has unreservedly expressed his disillusionment of the progress or the lack of it, for all to hear. For a man to whom Football fortunes were built on witchcraft like maneuvers, the thought of resignation is a veritable death knell. And so where do we go from here. With a candle burning at both ends, the writing is on the wall, but no one wants to hear the message that is loud and clear. FIFA and AFC will maintain a stoical silence while MOS remains engrossed in the political firmament at least until the Presidential and General Elections are done and dusted. Any renewed kick-off can be expected only after that national prerogative.
And so, like our erstwhile champion footballer Rukmal, most of the people who gave the sport its legitimacy, will quietly pass away. No knight is shining armor is going to pass by and take pity on a sport that has been stripped of every vestige of honour or purpose. It is a lament that as all but left KornerKick licking its wounds. Why must it wallow in despair any longer? Let the baton pass to a valiant crusader who must raise this sport from the depths to which it has fallen and have the power to usher in an era of promise, performance and pride. KornerKick takes a bow!