The Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) is in the process of ushering in a new regime at their Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled to be held on June 1.
Two candidates who are in contention for the top post of President are Dr. Vernon Manil Fernando, son of former President and business tycoon Manilal Fernando, and other incumbent General Secretary of the governing body, Jaswar Umar.
One of the youngest football administrators, Dr. Fernando has been at the helm of the Kalutara District Football League over the past decade.
He has served in various capacities in football administration, including being the Chairman of FFSL’s Medical Commission.
He served as a Vice-President of the FFSL from 2013 to 2015.
Fernando has the support of incumbent President Anura de Silva, who is not seeking re-election and will instead contest the post of Secretary General.
Manil is a past pupil of Holy Cross College, Kalutara. He represented the school football team from Under-14 to Under-18. He also played for Greenfield SC, Kalutara.
Fernando said: “To be honest, from 2013 to now, nothing much has happened with the standard of the game. If it was good, our rankings would have gone up.”
“I have been in the Executive Committees for the past three to four years and all are merely discussing; nothing concrete is happening.”
“Either I have to leave the Federation, allowing them to do whatever they want, or I have to try and do it myself.”
“This will be my final attempt to do something for the betterment of the game. If i fail, I will leave it to the people who want to continue with the present state.”
“If you look at the two teams contesting, one can see who has a relatively younger and capable side. Our team consists of some quality guys who are capable of delivering the goods.”
“My idea is to get the best experts in the game in my team along with the blessings and support of the Sports Minister and their officials, to make a collective effort to raise our standards locally and internationally,” concluded Fernando.
0 comments:
Post a Comment