Is Sri Lanka football dying on its feet?
Sadly, the refusal to throw-in and get the game re-started appears to be in the hands of the Minister of Sports (MoS) Roshan Ranasinghe and his team, including advice and support from the President’s office.
Let us re-examine some of the salient features of this debacle.
- The FIFA suspension came into effect on the January 22, 2023.
- FFSL President J. Sri Ranga was elected on January 14, 2023 and was the man-in-charge.
- Since March 17, 2023, Sri Ranga has been remanded on a legal matter far removed from football. He was also subsequently indicted in connection with the torching of President Ranil Wickramasinghe‘s private residence in Colombo.
- FFSL and MoS have both written to FIFA pleading a reversal of the suspension but FIFA has not relented, demanding that the conditions that are clearly spelt out, are met. The FIFA letter of April 25, 2023, refers in this connection.
- Instead FIFA keeps forwarding these correspondences to the disposed President Jaswar Umar and Secretary Upali Hewage of FFSL, whom they insist on recognising; the election of J. Sri Ranga and his Ex-Co on January 14 has never been recognised by FIFA.
- The MoS suspends FFSL on April 4, 2023 and appoints Ministry Secretary as Competent Authority.
In the midst of this slap in the face by FIFA, the MoS initiated a Commission of Enquiry under the tutelage of Retired High Court Judge, Kusula Sarojini Weerawardane, who completed their findings and submitted a report to the MoS. This report, we understand, has been submitted to the Attorney General (AG) and Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for further examination and instruction.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka football is prevented from all international engagements and runs the risk of a long term sentence and absence from the world of football. Happily, local football appears to be vibrant with many youth and senior football championships continuing apace all over the island. The outcome of this dynamic initiative on the part of the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association (SLSFA) and the regional leagues will of course suffer in the long run, if the sport does not extend beyond our shores.
Sri Lanka’s FIFA ranking is one distressing syllable but the wider ramifications are mind blowing. That the nation and its football public stands to lose significant benefits and progress, is an indictment on the MoS and the national sports system. That a body such as the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of which FFSL is a member, have no role to play or perhaps does not wish to be involved, amplifies the sad truth of politics in sports.
In parallel, Sri Lanka football suffers from a malady of continuous fiefdoms. It has never risen above the petty politics that adorns the sport. It has existed on the nourishment of the gravy train that FIFA and AFC so generously provides. Football officials vie for positions in the administration, with an eye on the largesse that awaits them. This is the culture that came to pass from the 1990s onward and casts a shadow on the organisation to this day.
Even as we write, a breakaway group of elite football clubs are agitating for representation in the national body, claiming that they do not receive equitable support from the FFSL. They are of the view that they should be provided seats in the Ex-Co, in precedence to paper leagues that do no more than provide bribe-fueled votes at AGMs.
That is why the MoS describes that the FFSL as a corrupt entity and it appears that his efforts have been primarily influenced by this poor impression. With the election of J. Sri Ranga as President which many feel was stage managed, the MoS accelerated a process of spring-cleaning as it were, with the notion of sanitizing the Augean stables. That seems to be the over-riding motivation and the FFSL ex-President Sri Ranga in his short reign, completely alienated the football community, including the staff who were quickly disillusioned by this turn of events. The previous President Jaswar Umar, many claim was no better, apportioning for himself a grandiose enclave with a strong political bias. FIFA reliance on this administration may have fueled the showdown when it came.
FIFA claims that the MoS renegaded on its agreement to follow the model statues that its delegations to Colombo had negotiated. The MoS decries that claim and reiterates that its conflict with the Sports Law made it impossible to accommodate FIFA directives. Apparently, the AG concurred with the MoS and thus arose the stalemate and the questionable election process that prompted FIFA to pull out the ‘Red Card’ and impose its suspension on Sri Lanka football.
Having jumped from the frying pan into the fire, the MoS seems to have adopted a strong-arm approach. One, was the Commission of Enquiry (CoE) which he hoped will justify the overall impression about the football administration. Corruption is the buzz word that he relishes and to that end he unleashed the CoE and conjured a media show to demonstrate that he was determined to put things right. The report now in the public domain is unlikely to achieve that lofty goal. A former President, Ranjith Rodrigo is on record that he will challenge its veracity and intent in court.
What has the MoS got to lose by working closely with FIFA to develop its football stock? Except arrogance, think many football observers. Recommendations and initiatives have been conveyed to the MoS as well as the Presidential Secretariat. Former President Rodrigo has written to the MoS and presented many records of the activities carried out during his term as President, while former Sri Lanka captain and FFSL President Anura de Silva is also on record about many issues concerning Sri Lanka football. He has publicly expressed concerns about misdemeanors caused under the stewardship of FFSL ex-President Jaswar Umar. What they demand is that action is taken against wrongdoers by all means, but appeal to the MoS not to tarnish the entire football establishment, en-masse.
No one condoles the fact that Sri Lanka football has not kept abreast of the rest of the Asia, let alone the rest of the world. It has failed on many fronts due to a culture of deceit that must be addressed in a cogent manner by the state. Its technical development in particular has been regressive. Its main pre-occupation was regular overseas jaunts and international appointments; a legacy of the past that has reverberated in successive administrations. Knowledgeable critics suggest that the MoS makes contact with FIFA/AFC as soon as possible, expresses its goodwill by accepting the conditions and invite their delegates for further consultation. Critical to this exercise most advocate, is a ‘Normalisation Committee’ comprising of local and international nominees that would oversee and conduct an intensive reform programme before fresh elections are called. Anything less they feel will only exacerbate the tensions that have prevailed over the last few years and dwell in the vicious cycles of the past.