‘Overstaying’ FFSL administration risking its dignity globally
The Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has been questioned by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) about the progress in amending the existing constitution to be in line with the country’s national sports law as well as the requirements of the regional and global bodies.
In an emailed letter, dated April 11, 2022 signed jointly by Kenny Jean-Marie, the Chief Member Associations Officer of FIFA and Vahid Kardany, the Deputy General Secretary, Member Associations of AFC, the current office bearers of the FFSL has been instructed to act swiftly in completing the ‘statutory review process’, which should clearly indicate the new adoptions and amendments to the existing constitution of FFSL and the ‘electoral code’ which determines the conduct of the anticipated election AGM, which is now overdue by almost two months.
The tenure of the current FFSL administration ended on June 30, 2022 after they were elected for a period of one year from 2021. The term in office at FFSL usually comes effective for a period of four years, but with the pending constitutional amendments, which was initially highlighted by FIFA in early 2015, the elected office bearers were granted a period of one year in office to finalise the new constitution after completing the statutory review process and a electoral code.
Yet, as of June 30, 2022, the day the present FFSL’s administration officially came to an end, no sign of any progress has been updated to FIFA or the AFC. According to the joint letter sent to FFSL, it is clear that the local football authorities have met the regional and global counterparts at the 72nd FIFA Congress held in Doha, Qatar, a week prior to sending the email, and have highlighted mainly on the political turmoil of the country as an excuse and diversion to their own mishap of failing to complete the requirements of FIFA and AFC.
“We understand that since our brief encounter in the margins of the 72nd FIFA Congress in Doha last week, the political situation in Sri Lanka has dramatically deteriorated. In particular, we take note that the entire cabinet of Ministers have resigned to date, including the Minister of Sports with whom discussions had been ongoing for several months regarding the FFSL statutory review process in view of the current national sport law (cf. FIFA-AFC letters of 30 March 2021 and 28 June 2021),” the joint letter states.
With the present FFSL administration ‘overstaying’ in office for over a month, and going into its second month, it is reliably learned that the Ministry of Sports have issued an ultimatum through a Special Gazette Notification to conduct the election AGM on or before August 31, 2022. The joint letter also underlines the fact clearly.
“We are of the view that the mandate of the current FFSL executive committee will come to an end by 30 June 2022 since the last elections took place on 30 June 2021 for a one-year period as per the directive of the Minister of Sport at the time. This being said and as underlined in our aforementioned past correspondence, we consider that FFSL must first of all finalise the statutory review process as soon as possible in order for its Congress to adopt the relevant new set of statutes and electoral code before the end of the mandate of the executive committee, i.e. before end of June 2022. This requirement is in line with the agreement reached last year with the FFSL and the Ministry of Sport.”
“Once the new set of statutes and electoral are adopted, the FFSL elections would then have to take place based on the relevant new regulatory framework as soon as possible and bearing in mind the evolution of the situation in the country, but by no later than 31 August 2022. For the sake of clarity, the elective Congress to be held by FFSL by 31 August 2022 at the latest, will elect a new FFSL executive committee for a four-year term,” the letter, now four months old, relates.
Despite these reminders and contributions from its executive committee members to the intended statutory review process, the present FFSL administration has completely ignored the requests that could later come in as warnings, according to inside sources. According to sources the Ministry of Sports have reminded the FFSL prior on three occasions during the past few months, to complete the requirements as instructed by FIFA and AFC and to conduct the elective AGM.
Certain members within the current administration also grieve that the serving FFSL president, who is also apparently the Head of its own Finance Committee, is ‘unethically’ misusing his official privileges with regards to funds, mainly received from FIFA and AFC. They fear that, with the present pace of progress with regard to the statutory review process and electoral code, FIFA could easily suspend FFSL and appoint a normalization committee or the Ministry of Sports could appoint an interim committee, based on the conduct of the FFSL administration during the coming few weeks leading to August 31.