Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) has finally begun wielding its authority and voiced its concern over the shameful incidents which has brought the sport into disrepute, but has fallen short of cracking the whip on violent behaviour and hooliganism in school rugby.
It might seem like a storm in a tea cup with just two games remaining in the season but it is ludicrous to say the least, that no proper inquiry has been conducted into the mayhem that occurred after the inter-school knockout trophy semifinal between St. Peter’s and Isipathana on Saturday which was exclusively reported in the ‘Sunday Observer’.
SLR to their credit convened an urgent meeting of the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) and the Sri Lanka Society of Rugby Football Referees (SLSRFR) on Wednesday, which merely ended with assurances of heightened security for the final without addressing the root cause of the problem.
It has been claimed that a player from St. Peter’s provoked the incident with a former Isipathana captain joining the melee from the bench after the match. Another Isipathana player was seen by many kicking a rival Peterite while a 10-year-old fan was assaulted by Isipathana supporters.
Josephian centre Tharindu Maduranga was handed a two-year ban for assaulting a referee but the Peterite player may get away scot free and play in the final without so much as a rap on his knuckles.
The reason being no one has officially complained about this incident. The Referees Society say the match officials were blind to it since they were back in the dressing room while the Match Commissioner Gamini Saratchandra says whatever happened after the final whistle does not come under his purview, though former referees disagree with his stance.
“The incident did not happen during the match. It was an after-match incident and not related to the match. If anything happened to the referee, it would have been reported. There was no complain from any school either,” said Saratchandra.
There was also a citing officer appointed by SLR Hemantha Yatawara. But ironically he too had not made any official complaint.
The million-dollar question then is who is trying to fool whom. Or whom are they trying to please or protect by sweeping these incidents under the carpet.
SLR deputy president Rizly Ilyas has declared they would go as far as prosecuting spectators in future.
“Even if the match commissioner or anybody doesn’t see or there is no report of crowd violence, we will identify from video and pictures, we will go to the police and ban those spectators from coming for any future match. We will get school old boys also involved. We will identify and teach the spectators a good lesson for coming into the grounds and getting involved. Players fighting can be solved. But spectators getting involved, there will be a life ban and we will prosecute them,” Ilyas told Daily News.
“Sometimes we say nobody complains. Even if there is no complain, if we see any disturbance and if there is any sort of misbehaviour or threats from any spectators, whether it be a parent or old boy or any sort of spectator, we will take severe action and we will hand him over to the police in future,” he said firmly.
“Even if there is no report, we can monitor on electronic media. We can sit in an office and report to the police. Also, we want to brief match commisioners in future. They should be responsible and take action,” said Ilyas.
A former referee said there is a special course to become a Match Commissioner. “He is responsible. He has to see and give a report about the whole thing. Their duty is not just to fill the form and go off,” he said.
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