Director General (DG) of the Department of Sports Development affiliated to the Ministry of Sports, Retired Rear Admiral Dr. Shemal Fernando, said fervent hope that there would be no recourse for a rebel local club league tournament.
He avowed he would be able to preside over the start of the 2024-25 inter-club league tournament as originally scheduled for 22 November, once a new permanent Minister is assigned to the Sports Ministry, after the conclusion of today’s (14) Parliamentary General Election.
He made this comment, when asked for his views regarding the on-going legal stalemate linked to the disbanded Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), of which he is the Competent Authority (CA), having being made so by ex-Minister Harin Fernando, who dissolved the SLR on 29 May.
“I am quite optimistic that the league tournament will kick off as planned on 22 November,” he told The Daily Morning Sports.
“After the conclusion of the General Election and once the President forms the Cabinet, and a new minister is appointed to the Ministry of Sports, I reckon these long-standing teething issues related to rugby, could be resolved for once and for all,” he said.
The Sports Ministry DG however noted that he had fixed 22 November, as the date for the league kick off, due to the conduct of the Parliamentary Election this week.
He then charged that his best determinations to take local rugby out of its doldrums, has been thwarted at every corner by those within the rugby community itself, whom he described were broken into several factions, with their concerted aim being to jostle for positions within the SLR Council.
Dr. Fernando also disproved claims made by certain sections, that he has been instructed by the Court of Appeal, to facilitate the conduct of a Special General Meeting (SGM), from which an Annual General Meeting (AGM), should be called, when the lawsuit filed against him by seven provincial unions was heard on 6 November.
He strained that on the said date, the Court had only deferred further hearing of arguments related to the case to 3 December and asserted that under no circumstance, had he been advised to facilitate an SGM or the AGM.
Asked what the final resolution would be as per the on-going lawsuit, the SLR Competent Authority quipped “only the God would know”.
The provincial unions have presently obtained an injunction against Dr. Shemal Fernando, over what they allege, his purported move to arbitrarily introduce amendments to the SLR constitution, while disregarding concerns of stakeholders.
The provincial unions have for long held sway at election of office bearers to the SLR and they fear that sudden introduction of amendments to its constitution, could severely diminish their clout at future AGMs, while favouring A Division Clubs.
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