Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kuala Lumpur: Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) President Ranjith Rodrigo has called upon the delegates attending the AFC Administration and Management Seminar at AFC House to apply the knowledge gained at the two-day workshop to boost football in their homeland.
Fifty-five officials from the FFSL are attending the seminar which covers a wide range of topics including: technical development; competition management; refereeing; social responsibility; marketing and international relations.
Sri Lankan football has recently, as Rodrigo remarked, ‘lost its glamour’ with the national team currently ranked 166th in FIFA’s 207-strong confederation having had disappointing campaigns in the qualifiers for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup and the 2013 SAFF Championship.
In AFC club competition, the Sri Lanka Army Sports Club lost heavily in all three of their matches in the group stage for 2013 AFC President’s Cup, with Sri Lanka not having had a representative in the final stage of the competition since 2007 when Ratnam SC missed out on a place in the final after losing on penalties to eventual champions Dordoi Dynamo.
“Football has lost its glamour in Sri Lanka and we know that proper football administration at all levels in our country is very important. We must analyse the past to determine what we need to do for the future,” Rodrigo said in his opening address to the delegates.
“You must each use the resources you obtain here in the best way for us to better develop football in Sri Lanka and if we can succeed in contributing to this development then we can be proud of our football and proud of our contribution to this achievement.
“Make the most of this course and use the knowledge to help develop the game on and off the pitch. What we do to develop the game off the ground helps and encourages our children to achieve their best on the ground and this can only be good for the future of the game in our country.”
The AFC Administration and Management Seminar is one of many initiatives introduced as part of AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa’s vision in fostering stronger relations with all the Confederations’ Member Associations as well as providing them with the resources to encourage the development of the game in their own country.
“I am very grateful to the AFC and the AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa for this opportunity and I look forward to continuing to work hand in hand with the AFC to promote football in Asia and help Asian football realise its great potential,” continued Rodrigo, pictured right with Sanjeevan Balasingam, Director of Member Associations/International Relations & Integrity in Sport.
Welcoming the Sri Lankan delegation on behalf of the AFC President and General Secretary Dato’ Alex Soosay, Balasinggam assured the FFSL of the Asian game’s governing body’s continued co-operation saying:
“The AFC fully supports the development efforts of the FFSL under the leadership of President Ranjith Rodrigo and we are fully supportive in assisting the FFSL in their endeavours in building a better Sri Lankan FA and developing their football.”