Presidential candidate Sumathipala and three others’ appeals rejected

Football Sri Lanka elections

By Althaf Nawaz

Football Sri Lanka Presidential candidate Dacshitha Sumathipala and three of his committee members who appealed to the Elections Commission when the original nomination submitted by them were initially rejected, had their appeals rejected by the Appeal Board (AB) after evaluating them for three days. 

They made their decision to release the final list of eligible candidates yesterday. 

After looking into the appeals and objections filed by both parties, the AB consisting of a former retired Magistrate Court Judge Sarath C. Karunaratne (Chairman), Hijaz Hizbullah (Deputy Chairman) and Chamath Jayasekere (Member) – both attorneys-at-law – cross examined the candidates who were lodged appeals citing various reasons.

Nominations of all 13 candidates representing Jaswar Umar’s camp were accepted, while Sumathipala (Anuradhapura District Association), T.I. Uduwara and U. Nihal Perera representing Wattala League and P.K.H.M. Ariyaratne from Deniyaya League were disqualified. N.S.B. Dissanayake of Sri Lanka Schools Association managed to prove his eligibility to contest the Football Sri Lanka elections to be held on 29 September. 

Early last week, the three member elections committee gave the green light to Jaswar’s team to go-ahead with the election formalities while rejecting his rival Presidential candidate and four others for not meeting the criteria of the newly drafted FSL constitution, which was a must in lifting the FIFA ban. Sumathipala camp’s main objections were based on the National Associations of Sports Regulations No-1 of 2016 which was amended and published in the extraordinary Gazette bearing No-2310/26 of 14.12.2022 as then office bearers were holding executive committee positions for several years than the stipulated period. 

Subsequently, as per the Court of Appeal (CA) Writ 25/2023, the Sports Minister (1st Respondent in the said application) had agreed that said amendments to the National Associations of Sports Regulations No-01 of 2016 published in the extraordinary Gazette bearing No-2310/26 of 14.12.2022 shall not be in force until November 1st, 2023. Furthermore, they have produced the Extraordinary Gazette bearing No-2342/09 dated 24.07.2023 under which the new FSL executive committee is to be elected under the constitution adopted on September 22, 2022. 

With these submissions the eligible candidates are granted permission to proceed with the remaining electoral process based on the above decision.

Jaswar Umar camp candidates:

• President: Jaswar Umar (SLFRA)
• Presidents: Ranjith Rodrigo (Negombo FL), Dr. Manil Fernando (Kalutara FL), Saman Dilahan Nagahawatta (Galle FL), K.M.M.P. Karunathilake (SL Navy FL)
• Executive Committee: A.W. Abdul Gaffar (Mawanella FL), M.V.J.K.D. Silva,(Nawalapitiya FL), Saifullah Yusoof (Mercantile FA), M.I.M. Abdul Manaff (Ampara FL), A. Nagarajan (Vavuniya FL), T.H.S. Indika (Matara FL)
  
   

 Dacshitha Sumathipala Camp (Eligible candidate list)

• Vice Presidents: P.G.P. Peiris (Dehiwala/Mount Lavinia FL), N.A. Jagath Rohana (Nationalised Service SA), W.A.M. Rohitha Fernando (Wennappuwa FL)
• Executive Committee: A.G. Sunil (Wennappuwa FL), Sameer Sampath Akmeemana (Polgahawela FL), R.A. Tharanga (Deniyaya FL), Leo Fernando (Polgahawela FL), T.Suthagar (Nationalised Services SA)