SLRFU chief orders inquiry into player misbehaviour on flight

But manager fails to submit report:

Srian Obeyesekere

An immediate inquiry has been ordered by the SLRFU President Senior DIG Nimal Lewke into the alleged misbehaviour of a Sri Lanka ruggerite on board a flight back home from the triangular tournament in Chinese Taipei.

Disciplinary action will be taken against any player who has gone against the norms of decency," the SLRFU chief said yesterday. But the Manager Roshan Deen, who is a vital cog to the inquiry, is not available.

The one-man inquiry conducted by T.M.L. Hameed, the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU), who was appointed by the union's President Senior DIG, Nimal Lewke, said that the Manager Roshan Deen had left the country with the Dubai 7s.

"The manager is away. He came and went again with the team for the Dubai 7s," the inquirer Hameed said when contacted.

The SLRFU chief was also not happy with the actions of the manager saying that 'it was his duty to have promptly reported such an incident to the union upon his return.'

"The manager should have done so (reported incident), but he has not submitted his report," said Lewke. The alleged incident involving the ruggerite had occurred on October 16 (Sunday) when he had allegedly urinated in open into a sanitary bag aboard the Bangkok-Colombo bound flight on October 16.

The player concerned, who is said to have not long ago made it to the national side having represented a hill country school, is also said to have harassed a stewardess aboard the plane.

Sri Lankan passengers, who were horrified by the ugly incident, have indicated their willingness to testify if necessary.

Meanwhile, the question doing the round in rugby circles was as to why the manager had left the country without a word about what had happened.