SLFF presidential aspirant Manil says ‘Football first, Let’s play’

Dr. Manil Fernando 

Sri Lanka Football Federation (SLFF) presidential aspirant Dr. Manil Fernando yesterday unveiled his manifesto titled ‘Football First, Let’s play’ which outlines his passion and commitment to develop the sport. 

With an undying passion towards the sport and an unending commitment towards developing football in Sri Lanka, Dr. Manil Fernando said he will be contesting for the upcoming presidential election of SLFF. Manil is the son of Manilal Fernando, who is synonymous with football both at local and international level.

Manil said even in the presence of deeply rooted divisions, shared experiences can be an effective nation-building tool and can have a tangible effect on bringing the community together. Sport, specifically Football, could be utilised to create this shared experience amongst the community by forging a common identity where individuals see themselves as a part of a nation as a whole, as opposed to specific racial, religious or other groups. 

The international community have comprehended this concept and placed importance on sport. With over 4 billion followers, football is the most popular sport worldwide and is definitely a sport that has strengthened national identities for centuries. 

“Yet, Sri Lanka has not yet given football the importance it deserves and thus, lags behind in the sports arena when compared to the rest of the world. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to develop football in Sri Lanka,” emphasises Manil. 

According to him the first step in order to do so, is to focus on developing basic football related infrastructure facilities in the country and also by instigating pro-active programs to spike an interest and skill in the game especially amongst the youth and younger students in the country. 

Grass root level initiatives including fundamental and transformative changes in key areas such as administration, competition planning, youth and women participation, digitisation, coach education etc. must be introduced in order to truly develop the sport in our motherland. 

Additionally, Manil says action must be taken to eradicate corruption and undue politics that have infiltrated sports bodies and authorities in order to ensure true development and progress of the sport in Sri Lanka. 

“Our community possesses countless talented and skilled youngsters especially in the field of football. Yet, this potential remains squandered and fruitless as Sri Lankan schools and clubs do not have much to offer with regards to football,” said Manil. 

“All children, regardless of gender, race or religion deserve the opportunity to excel in their passion. Thus we as a community, have a responsibility to develop the spectacular sport of football in Sri Lanka in order to provide our future generations with a competitive and appropriate platform to engage in this ever loved sport,” emhpasised Manil.

To fully comprehend Dr. Manil’s vision, mission and plan of action towards evolving football in Sri Lanka, the full manifesto can be read and viewed via video through the ‘Football First; Let’s play’ Facebook page.