‘Asian Games 2018 will be my last appearance for the country’: Fazil Marija

By Shamseer Jaleel 

Former Kingswood, Kandy and Sri Lanka Sevens and Fifteens rugby player Fazil Marija played his last game in the longer format of the game at the Asian Rugby Championship Division I in Malaysia. Unfortunately for him and the country the send-off was not perfect as Sri Lanka, after leading for the majority of the game, lost out in the last quarter to hosts Malaysia, which sported a team filled with Fijians. He will end his rugby career after the next club season and the Sevens rugby competition of the Asian Games. 

Marija, who is from the Randles Hill school, after playing for more than four years at the Under-20 level, led the team to league and knockout championship wins in 2004. Later on he made his debut for Sri Lanka against the visiting Hong Kong outfit as a schoolboy in Nittawela. 

He represented Kandy for 13 long years without shifting clubs even after many clubs offered him big money in order to play for them. He not only led the national Fifteens team but also the Sevens outfit for many years, taking Sri Lanka to third position on the Asian Sevens circuit. 

Speaking to Daily FT Marija said: “I played my last Fifteens game for the country against Malaysia having played for more than a decade against all leading Asian rugby-playing nations. I also got selected to play for the Asian Barbarians in 2010, which was a great achievement in my career, at the Hong Kong Tens.” 

 “I want to play for my club for one more year and end my club career in 2018. I will be playing Sevens rugby for Sri Lanka at the Asian Games in Indonesia next year if I am fit and get selected,” he added. 

He did not forget to thank his family, especially his mother and wife, for the continued support offered to him to play for the club and country. He also heaped praise on Malik Samarawickrama, saying: “If not for Malik I would be nobody today. He looked after me from the start and I too did not change clubs like many others. I was very loyal towards the Kandy Sports Club.” 

He went on to state that he wanted to get into coaching at the junior level through the Kandy SC Rugby Academy and later on work from there.  At present Marija is a Level II World Rugby Coach.