February 06, Colombo (LNW): Five to six years ago, Sri Lanka Rugby, which had been going on for many years, changed its recent history and took a unique path as a sport. Not for the politics, we also stood up for that regime, which kept its back straight so that if even Asia tried to reach its own country and lay hands on it beyond their limits. Due to the harsh memories, we have in recent history, a different story happened. Foreigners were deployed to play in matches and had to strip in front of the world. We are still paying the fine.
The Rugby account gradually became empty while holding various carnival tournaments, inviting the country’s leader, and keeping the authorities get credit marks, and working on their existence outside of Rugby. It was the debt that went up.
As a result, the team led by Rizly Illyas demonstrated a genuine rugby personality, capable of standing independently with a distinctive identity. Even if he resigns as he should strategically go forward with that foam, we expected Sri Lanka Rugby to go ahead with that backbone. Following the acceptance, we hoped that there would be a proper investigation within the official system regarding the matters that caused the ban on behalf of Sri Lanka Rugby and that there would be a request to ask the facts from both sides as the defense and the complaint. But the Acting President, who is in a daze with the power he has suddenly received, is intoxicated by the random surprise, instead of working to confirm the previous opinion, he is pushing himself to the point of praising and flipping by himself the opposite opinions. However, it is evident now that the rugger personality we witnessed during that period has dissipated following Illyas’s departure. The current Acting President, who was the head of a
sub-committee, has begun to backtrack even the decisions taken by the sub-committee under his leadership. The remaining members of the executive committee must decide whether to get on his swing or not.
When a sub-committee led by him declared that the league champions Kandy Team would withdraw from the Clifford Cup, Kandy Club was banned from the Clifford Cup, affecting this year as well. They decided to leave because the Rugby
administration did not act to provide their stadium, the Nittawela Rugby Stadium. Instead, they were provided with a stadium in Kandy as an alternative. The reason for this was the decision of the Rugby administration not to allow any sports club to play at the designated stadium where they act as hosts. No matter how well and vigorously the tail wags, the dog has the right to wag it. The Rugby administration’s decision at that moment prevented the tail from becoming the dog and keep the tail in right place.
But now, the Acting President is now exerting his influence on the Executive Council, asserting that it is imperative to include Kandy in this year’s Clifford Cup, citing the birth story of the Kandy Sports Club. Now it can be seen that Sri Lanka Rugby has reached the state of showing the form of a dog that wags its tail as needed, because several tails that have worked to hinder the administration of rugby in the past are showing this hilarious type of dog wag tails.
From now on, based on the importance of the birth of a sports club, the rugby administration, which is the paternity of the national responsibility of the sport, not tailgating, but the signal that comes from this is dangerous. The foundation of an administrative operation that took the lead in changing many rights, the scandal, the debt load, etc., caused by rugby dancing to their tune by having a group of people sit on a few chairs to administer rugby, was lost in this way. It is sad that with that escape, the useless pieces of stone that were trying to be stuck
somewhere that could have been seen before have appeared and started acting like mountains.
At another moment, In another instance, if the Asia president appoints his amicable ex-president, who has been associated with the most disgraceful stain on Sri Lanka Rugby, to lead , the personality that the current leadership has developed as Sri Lanka Rugby, which indicates that he is ready to show his work to the level of saying “Yes Sir” It feels like it is slowly melting away.
It is well known to the Acting President that through the crises caused by directness last season, the Asia President managed to use to down the Sri Lanka Rugby , which has more history than him, with the help of Sri Lankan own personnel, and succeeded in the rugby game of his country, which in the Asia Rugby region.
Despite that, the people who opposed the Sri Lanka Rugby should prove the size of their backs by whether they become puppets in hands or not. Or the extent of their love for rugby. Also, if an investigation has been conducted through the ministry and told to leave, Hassan Sinhawansa’s course of action should be to exit his profession. Also, the Acting President should take appropriate measures for that. This non-departure also shows that it is necessary to think about whether only the outgone president had the desire to create a background where he could work independently for Sri Lanka Rugby last season and to maintain it. If this is not the case, the Acting President should keep the decisions of the sub-committees that he led as before and not act to spoil the personality of Sri Lanka Rugby by fulfilling the needs of the people who are hindering it at this moment.
Also, Sinhawansa should refrain from allowing individuals, including himself, who hindered the organization, to assume leadership roles. At times, it is determined that stepping down is more important than remaining. Rather than persisting in a
position by any means and wielding power arbitrarily, people who come stepping down for the truth will stay in society. Is there any possibility to think Sri Lanka Rugby like that? We are awake and waiting to see if the pride that has been built up in recent times will be folded in two and will be twisted by ‘Sir theory’ and will be crushed or will fight. What is happening now is the tail wagging the dog according to the visible movements.
Whether this tail represents Sri Lanka Rugby as a whole or the actions of an individual or a group is discerned through the conduct of the entire Executive Council.
*Adapted from original article, “රගර්වල වලිග බල්ලාව වනන තැනට පත්වීම” by Nishman Ranasinghe published on 06.02.2024
