Domestic football season to officially kick off

Thursday, 24 October 2024 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Althaf Nawaz

Sri Lanka’s much awaited domestic football season has officially kicked off, with Football Sri Lanka (FSL) launching a series of matches to finalise the line-up for the Division 1 Championship, which will be played in various venues throughout the island.

Out of 25 teams initially selected, 20 have stepped forward to compete, setting the stage for a gripping battle to select the last two spots in the top-tier tournament which will follow once this process is completed.

The teams are split into two groups. Group 1 comprises seven teams that advanced to the final round the previous season. The winner of this group will earn direct entry into the Division 1 Championship. The runner-up, however, will need to battle in an additional play-off against the champion of Group 2, which comprises 13 teams where 12 teams have already qualified, and the winners from these play-offs will secure the last two spots, making it a 14-team roster for this year’s Division 1 Championship.

The competition will be governed by FSL’s regulations, ensuring that Sri Lankan football’s most important domestic league is contested fairly and in line with standards set by the Federation. This structure sets the tone for an exciting season as teams vie for glory and a place among the country’s elite football clubs.

Speaking to Daily FT, FSL President Jaswar Umar said that he is extremely happy to begin domestic football with the play-off for the Division 1 Championship, while other competitions will follow very soon.

“We are delighted to restart our domestic football calendar after a long layover with these play-off matches. This will enable us to pick the two teams to compete in the Division 1 segment which will commence soon after this encounter.”

“We anticipate running the rest of the tournaments gradually in all segments with the available resources. Some of the clubs are finding it difficult to resume their activities due to the long lay-off, which was due to various reasons beyond our control. Nevertheless, we as a governing body will try to assist these struggling clubs in whatever way possible to revamp football in the country,” said Umar.