Minister Lokuge’s bold decision to discipline rugby

Minister of Sports and Public Recreation, Gamini Lokuge has taken a firm decision to discipline the national rugby pool.

His bold decision to stand by the national selection committee to appoint veteran CR & FC player Pavithra Fernando as captain of the Sri Lanka team for the current five-nation tournament in Dubai is a commendable one.

As usual, it was the ‘naughty boys of Sri Lanka rugby’ from the hill capital, under the patronage of their ‘godfather’, who made the first move. Instead of pulling out from the national squad, for which they are famous for whenever they do got get their blue eyed boys in the squad, got lads from Maitland Crescent to play a new role.

Different tune

Stating Dilanka Wijesekera should have been the captain, the Maitland Crescent players were influenced by the lads from the hill capital. Having persuaded some ‘Crescent lads’ to keep away from practices, the ‘Kandyans’ played a different tune this time around by stating that it is pointless to play if the CH lads are not in the scrum.

It is under these circumstances that Minister Lokuge thought enough is enough and took a firm and a far-reaching decision to score for the game. We have witnessed enough and more instances of the hill capital lads withdrawing from the national squad, whenever they feel that the selections have not been made to satisfy their ‘godfather’.

This has become a laughing stock in the rugby circles and many former Ministers and rugby officials often turned a blind eye as money spoke.

As a result, even the players from the hill capital have little or no option but to dance to the tune of their officials. The players were forced to withdraw from the national squad to satisfy their ‘patrons’ as they were in danger of losing their contracts and even employment in most cases.

But Minister Lokuge took one of the most exemplary decisions ever taken by a Sports Minister in local sports history when he ordered the SLRFU Interim Committee to stick to original selection of the captain and somehow send the national team for the five-nation tournament.

Mature politician

Minister Lokuge may not have played the game but he is definitely a mature politician who is capable of taking calculated decisions when it matters the most. Having studied the whole drama and previous ‘notorious records’ of the Kandyans, Minister Lokuge was firm on his decision and knew his onions. He ordered his Ministry Secretary Liyanagama to maintain discipline at all times and not let the players govern the officials.

The firm stand taken by Minister Lokuge is even more creditable as it came at a stage even when the SLRFU Interim Committee, headed by Dr. Maiya Gunasekera, too was in the balance, being unable to take a fearless decision.

Even the rugby selectors became laughing stock when they made a controversial ‘resignation’ when their official term had already lapsed. The sports loving people in the country are well and truly aware of the whole drama and for whom the officials and selectors are ‘playing’ for.

Selection process

The Minister knew exactly what he was doing and ‘touched down clean’, preventing interested parties meddling with the selection process.

A product of Royal College, Pavithra Fernando first had the Sri Lanka jersey way back in 1999. Ever since, he has been an automatic choice for the Sri Lanka national team until surgery kept him away for a little over a year. Nevertheless, Fernando has not lost his old touch and richly deserves to be the captain.

On the other hand, CH & FC’s Dilanka Wijesekera too is a versatile player who has leadership qualities. Undoubtedly, Wijesekera is the captain for the future.

While rewarding Fernando with the captaincy in his final season for Sri Lanka, Wijesekera could be trained as future captaincy material. Interested opportunist elements should not be allowed to create an animosity between the players or the clubs.

Wise decision

Now that Minister Lokuge has taken a wise decision to stick to the original selection of Fernando, he has one more important decision to make to clean local rugby once and for all - to ban all those players who withdrew from the national squad citing various reasons.

All those should be called before the national selection committee and then face a mandatory medical examination by the Department of Sports Medicine to determine the truth.

No doubt that almost all these players have fallen ‘sick’ or ‘unfit’ under the instructions of some of their club officials and ‘godfathers’. But now is the time to pay for their sins. Minister Lokuge should ban all those players who are found guilty.

They should be banned for a period of not less than two years from all types of rugby at domestic and international level - playing, coaching, refereeing and administration.

Petty club politics

No sympathy should be shown to the players who have purposely withdrawn from the squad, letting the national team down due to the captaincy issue. National interests and discipline should always come first, irrespective of petty club politics and personal differences.

One could be the most essential player in the team but if he lacks discipline and fails to honour national interest, he is of no use. Sri Lanka sport does not need such narrow minded and opportunist players who forget the basics of sport for financial benefits.

After all, playing for the country should be the ultimate dream of any player, not to throw a Sri Lanka jersey away in greediness for the few bundles of cash they get from their club agents. The honour, glory and pride of representing Sri Lanka and playing under the Lion flag could not be bought for money.