Football Federation elections scheduled for 16 Sept.

From left: Dr. Manil Fernando, Ranjith Rodrigo and Jaswar Umar who have joined hands to restart football in the country and lift the International ban will have an opportunity to embark on their vision  

• Date fixed after settlement reached by all parties

By Althaf Nawaz

Election of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) is scheduled for 16 September following the settlement reached by all parties concerned at the Court of Appeal (COA) yesterday.

The COA decided to dismiss the case filed by various parties in good faith in an attempt to remove the international ban imposed by AFC/FIFA on Sri Lankan Football which has been in effect since the beginning of this year. This amicable settlement will also enable the national team to participate in the World Cup Qualifying matches scheduled to be played on 12 and 19 October against Yemen on a home and away basis.

The developments follow Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe’s decision to temporarily suspend the Gazette notification he issued last December. This will enable the Election to be held in a free and fair manner to restart football in the Pearl of Indian Ocean where the world’s most popular game is in a spot of bother at present. This election will be conducted according to the newly adopted constitution by the FFSL in compliance with FIFA guidelines.  

The petitioner of cases number 22 and 23, the FFSL former President Jaswar Umar, said that he would like to thank the Sports Minister, the COA, the lawyers and other stakeholders for joining hands for the betterment of the game and rejuvenating the game which is in doldrums. He also added that they will now have to strive hard as a group to lift the existing ban and put Sri Lanka in the world football arena.

The recent unity between the big guns in the game, namely Jaswar Umar, Ranjith Rodrigo and Dr. Manil Fernando, will also enable Sri Lankan Football to reach great heights.