Manil says no room for corruption in his plan to develop football in Sri Lanka

Having unveiled his manifesto a while back, Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) presidential aspirant, Dr. Manil Fernando says he is on a steady path ahead to implement his vision of football development in Sri Lanka exclusive of any and all corruption and unethical sport-related activity. 

Dr. Fernando, a globally-acclaimed orthopedic surgeon and a qualified practitioner in sport injury, is in contention for the foremost position in the FFSL with the motive of restoring football in Sri Lanka. 

Sport is no longer an activity solely related to physical development of the human body and mind. It’s a global industry that has captivated billions of people, provided millions of employment opportunities and generates as much revenue. Yet according to Dr. Fernando, Sri Lanka is missing out and is far behind in terms of football, as the sport is not given the priority it deserves in our nation.

“Football is an immaculate sport. It is by far the most popular sport in the world and with good reason. Football transcends deeply-rooted divisions like race and religion and possesses the power to unify the community which is my ultimate goal with developing football in Sri Lanka,” says Fernando. 

In order to do so, Dr. Fernando believes a strategic development plan is an absolute necessity. He firmly disagrees with the existing top-down quick fix development approach that does not sufficiently aid the growth of football.

In its place, he has formulated a fully-fledged proposal of development in his manifesto, by assessing key factors and suggesting implementations that would befit the Sri Lankan context with the hope of uplifting the sport of football islandwide.

He emphasises on the necessity for grassroot level initiatives such as integrating football into the schooling systems more efficiently and instigating children and youth leagues all over Sri Lanka. 

Additionally, Fernando believes in better overall resource allocation. “We need to utilise existing resources and urge for more resources from the international football community to develop infrastructure in Sri Lanka.” 

Focusing on developing basic football-related infrastructure facilities is a must in his perspective since Dr. Fernando is certain that it would provide a much-needed platform for talented youngsters and youth who have thus far not had the opportunity to explore football as a sport. 

Furthermore, he considers fundamental and transformative changes in key areas such as administration, competition planning, youth and women participation, digitisation, coach education, etc. to be crucial in developing football in Sri Lanka. 

He adds: “The reason I decided to be involved with football in Sri Lanka and the reason I decided to contest in the FFSL presidential elections is because I sincerely love the sport and I truly do want to see football becoming a major part of our community in the future.”

Moreover Dr. Fernando discusses the importance of shielding the sport from neglect and corruption. “Development of sport cannot take place no matter the strategies that have been put in place unless we eliminate corruption entirely. In so many sectors of Sri Lanka, potential is gone to absolute waste because of authorities and higher officials that follow unethical and corrupt practices. For my love of football and my passion to popularise the sport in my motherland, this kind of corruption will not be allowed to seep into the football community as the development process is futile if it does.”

According to Dr. Fernando, football has also long been a vehicle of strengthening national identity: “Football can be employed as an effective nation-building tool and can bring our entire community together which makes it so much more important that we put in as much effort as possible to expand and develop football in Sri Lanka.” 

To fully comprehend Dr. Fernando’s vision, mission and plan of action towards evolving football in Sri Lanka, the full manifesto can be read and viewed via video through the ‘Football First; Let’s play’ Facebook page.