The architect of Sri Lanka’s first ever professional football tournament, the Super League FFSL General Secretary Jaswar Umar said that he expects to launch the Super League at the end of this month amidst various obstacles, which arose in the past few days.
It is learnt that health authorities are pushing the organizers to conduct the tournament under a “bio-bubble” similar to Lanka Premier League (LPL). However, unlike the LPL, football has a different set up and the format of the tournament can stretch up to six-months. It is, therefore, not a viable option for the organizers to bear the cost of maintaining players in a “Bio-Bubble”. In addition, players who are employed in private firms or running small businesses will not lock themselves in a bio-bubble for long periods, as their livelihood will be affected.
Football was not played in the country under the established formats for two years; first due to the Easter Sunday Attack in 2019 and then the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Club owners and players said that it is important that Super League kicks off as soon as possible to prevent football from being neglected and fade away from the country.
Jaswar, is determined to carry out the project no matter what comes his way, and has now proposed a few adjustments to the format from the original plan. The Super League will now be set up in three stages:
*First stage: a Pre-season” of 4 to 6 weeks with preparatory games where all 10 teams will participate in two groups. Second stage: will have the original season with five match weeks before the International World Cup break of one month. Third stage will have four match weeks to conclude the first stage. This new format will provide a better solution to the current situation when inaugurating the competition this year. It is learnt that almost all clubs unanimously accepted this new arrangement. The problems faced by the Super League have caught the attention of Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa, and he is determined to ensure football reaches global standards. He is counting on football to be the next popular sport besides cricket in the country, and is planning a strategy to establish a proper structure.
Professional Leagues are played as separate independent entities in the world to ensure sustainability and commercial viability.
This will eliminate interference from politicians every time there is a change of President in sports bodies. Very good examples for such formats are Indian Super League by IMG Reliance, English Premier League, Australian A League and W League etc.
A proper Professional Football League in Sri Lanka will require an initial investment of nearly Rs.200 million, and there is no way this amount can be raised without private participation. There is a strong belief that Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa is negotiating with a number of private sector organizations to invest in Football, and to view it as a business entity.
If these negotiations materialize, it will be the golden era for football, and all clubs in the country will benefit greatly.
In any case, it looks like Minister Namal Rajapaksa will summon all 10 clubs and FFSL officials in the next few days for a discussion in order to take matters under his purview and kick start the Super League.
It appears the Super League will take a new turn and kick off under the leadership of Minister Namal Rajapaksa, similar to how he launched the LPL successfully with his untiring efforts overcoming many obstacles.
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