A’ Division Clubs Block DG Dr. Shemal and Nalin De Silva’s Efforts to Elevate Sri Lions

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, also Minister of Sports, Needs to Take Decisive Action

Group Captain (Rtd) Nalin De Silva, known for his long-standing loyalty to his former political allies, including various Ministers of Sports during his time at Sri Lanka Rugby, seems to be employing familiar tactics once again.

His current focus is on promoting the Sri Lions rugby club, which won the ‘B’ Division last season, to the ‘A’ Division for the upcoming season scheduled for November 2024. Despite the obstacles, De Silva appears resolute in pushing for this promotion, raising questions about the true motivations behind his efforts.  

De Silva the former SLR Acting President, who was mainly responsible for the suspension of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) due to the organization’s failure to hold its Annual General Meeting on schedule, has resurfaced in the spotlight. Despite this faux pas, he was made to leap frog into the arms of the Ministry of Sports and support the Director General Dr.Shemal Fernando in running the affairs of Sri Lanka Rugby, a task that befell upon him after the suspension.

Group Captain De Silva recently submitted a letter to Dr. Shemal Fernando, Director General of Sports Development, detailing his reasons for advocating the promotion of the Sri Lions to compete in the ‘A’ Division for the upcoming season. 

This move mirrors Nalin De Silva’s previous actions especially during Asanga Seneviratne’s leadership at Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), when clubs like Hambantota Sharks and Nawalapitiya Lions bought their way into being granted ‘A’ Division status after reportedly paying around Rs. 2 million each. This occurred under the Rajapaksa regime, where Namal, Yoshitha, and Rohitha Rajapaksa held significant sway, with Namal serving as captain of the national rugby team. Notably, it was also during this period that De Silva was involved in violating the country’s Immigration and Emigration laws by facilitating Sri Lankan passports for Fijian players in an effort to strengthen the national rugby team under Namal Rajapaksa’s captaincy in 2014.

His recent actions, now once again draws attention and raises concerns about similar questionable practices from the past resurfacing.

Surprisingly DG Fernando without hesitating approved Group Captain De Silva’s requested letter, even justifying his own reasons by stating the following on the said letter –  “Approved in the best interest towards development of rugby in Sri Lanka.” This letter was dated 4th October 2024.

DG Dr. Fernando may have later realized that his actions were a momentary oversight, as he lacks the authority to make such decisions independently.

Four days later on the 8th of October 2024 he then decided to summon a meeting with the representatives of the eight ‘A’ Division rugby clubs, seeking their consent in having the Sri Lions rugby club promoted to compete in the upcoming ‘A’ Division rugby season. 

The meeting which took place on the 9th of October 2024, with seven out of the eight ‘A’ Division rugby clubs representatives present provided both the DG Fernando and Group Captain the rudest shock, when they vehemently opposed in providing their consent for the Sri Lions rugby club to be promoted to the ‘A’ Division.

One of the representatives speaking to The Morning Telegraph on condition of anonymity stated several reasons as to why they opted to take that stance. 

Some of those reasons are as follows: 

1.Last year’s ‘B’ Division tournament was not sanctioned by SLR

2.Last Year’s ‘B’ Division tournament did not follow tournament rules.

3.Ineligible players were used by Sri Lions during the season who were registered with other clubs

4.The affected clubs complained to SLR about their players violating the tournament rules and the SLR constitution as they represented Sri Lions. Till todate SLR has not communicated the outcome of the disciplinary committee findings and report to the clubs.

5.Sri Lions should not have been awarded the ‘B’ Division trophy at the end of the last tournament game played, whilst investigations were still ongoing.

Additionally the representative stated that there was even a conflict of interest recently, where Sri Lions had provided sponsorship monies for the Sri Lanka Under 18 sevens team’s recent tour to Malaysia. Some construed it as being some sort of a bribe in currying favour with the Director General Fernando, especially at a time when they are seeking to be promoted. There are also allegations that the sponsorship funds they gave did not follow the appropriate procedures and were never deposited into the official SLR account.

It appears the ‘A’ Division rugby clubs have sent Dr. Fernando and Group Captain De Silva back to the drawing board to reconsider their strategy. Their initial effort to secure a spot for the Sri Lions, a club known for its extravagant spending and financial backing, in the 2024/25 ‘A’ Division rugby season has been blocked. Now, they must explore new alternatives to find a way to include the Sri Lions in the top-tier competition.  

Despite the Director General’s attempts to assert control over Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) with the support of his handpicked former military officers, he has failed to address a critical issue. CR & FC players, who were selected for trials for the recent Asian Rugby Sevens Tournament in Nepal, blatantly disregarded Section 7 of the SLR constitution, “Call for National Duty,” by not attending the required practices and selection sessions.

If this situation raises serious concerns about the players’ commitment to national duties and the enforcement of SLR’s regulations, it is even more alarming why DG Dr. Fernando has remained inactive on the matter for so long. His delayed response only intensifies the need for decisive action.

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, who currently oversees the Ministry of Sports in the run-up to the General Elections, needs to act quickly to address the ongoing crisis with Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), a situation inherited from her predecessors. With the looming presence of World Rugby, any further delays in resolving the issues could have serious repercussions. A failure to take prompt action might not only tarnish the National People’s Party’s commitment to good governance and transparency but also risk losing key support from the sporting community, particularly with the General Elections just around the corner.