Ceylon Today Editorial

Is Financial dependency dragging down sports?

31 December 2016

A soccer veteran cum promoter recently said in the course of an interview on TV that he was "very saddened" by the negative course of the game in the country.

"What" he postulated, was happening to the game in Sri Lanka ? Making reference to a comment in the print media he added that the entire ambiance of the game was like that of a funeral house wake. Opinions fop men such as this need to be taken seriously . This game that was once held in high esteem has bottomed out in the virtual graveyard of sports, bottomed out into almost nothing resembling its former dynamic vitality. What's worse is that there seems to be absolutely no initiative emerging from the administrators who are quite content to twiddling their thumbs and playing musical chairs with the fate of the game. Plum positions in the Sri Lanka Football Federation hierarchy seem to be bearing no visible fruit either on or off the playing field or on the national football radar screens. Let's take a quick look at the carnage.

There seems to be quite some concern about soccer being played in the island. Once known as the sport of the poor, it has today been adopted as a preferred sport by those in very affluent circumstances while they also seem to be getting quite a handsome financial return for their 'involvement' in the sport. They are obviously well looked after by the World Body for soccer, FIFA. FIFA has been in the limelight these days for notoriously dubious actions relating to various deals that have been made in connection with elections of officials and selection of venues for major tournaments as well as from broadcasting ' benefits'. And the dollar conversion value vis a vis the Lanka rupee is becoming more attractive by the day too !! So very attractive that it stimulates vested interests more than the CSE.

FIFA as the world body for soccer draws in a lot of income from determining the course of the Soccer World Cup and all that it entails from start to the final whistle. It is estimated to draw in an amazing $ 5.7 billion plus windfall for those in the game. That excludes other avenues of related incomes derived from interest payments, gains in foreign exchange fluctuations and so on. FIFA has been investigated for corruption by authorities in the US and Switzerland. Many senior officials have been accused with involvement in these allegations of bribery and sundry kickbacks running into over US$ 100 million.

According to reports after the 2014 World Cup each of the national associations was given two million dollars with American associations getting the major share of around $ 137 million. We in Sri Lanka wonder how and why these officials who get elected to such national bodies hang on, for long periods of time! We now know why !

Anyone who gains access into such 'dreams come true situations' naturally thrive on them. They follow the game played by their world body and emulate those strategies. Money is the main thing that ensures longevity to such hopeful 'sports-men' who by all appearances seem to be well taken care of as seen from the above description. In fact, sports and perks are inseparable in Sri Lanka and no one is interested in putting a stop to it, but, adversely to sports, are willing to accept it and also exploit it.

FIFA has set the example and they can afford it, but, associations in countries like Sri Lanka cannot afford to follow FIFA. The Sri Lankan authorities have to take care of the game for is that not the main reason for the existence of such management and promotional bodies in sports? Alas ! They do not seem to be doing their job in the proper manner according to some concerned veterans.

Veterans are of the opinion that it was the 1960s and '70s when the game was thriving without any political interference, though there were many politicians who were supporting its development at national level. There were clubs that ran their affairs based especially on the game, within their financial means. Even at the school level most urban and suburban based schools played the game at a high standard.

There was the schools team representing the country that played against Malaysia and other Asian school teams. There are of course more schools involved today, but hardly worthy of the efforts put into the cause. This is because many promising soccer stars quit school and do not pursue the game any further.

But, the doom set in with the wrong moves of the Sports Ministry which grabbed authority in the game with a Sports Act which was not there earlier. For reasons best known to them, there may have been the thinking that they were doing the spending for a major portion of the development of sports and had the authority over it more than anyone else. All they did was to get sports too involved in the slow moving huge government machine. This would have caused authorities of clubs, who were short of money for expenses, to deviate from their responsibilities of the sports development aspect obliging to work for crumbs.

Unlike cricket and rugby national bodies in the country that have the backing of sponsors, today many, including soccer, federations are dependent on the ministry to provide them funds. The reason for this is their inadequate financial position which will not attract any sponsor to provide them any backing; although most sponsors back events under these same federations that have the patronage of the sports ministry.

Especially soccer, as seen from above, gets the usual backing of the world body. We saw it when the head of FIFA was in Sri Lanka how money was given to develop the women's game in the country. It is actually the responsibility of the local federation to be accountable for these funds received and spent. If these responsibilities are not being shouldered with a sense of responsibility there is no way that one can expect soccer to rise to a position of due prominence in the country.