• AR adamant sanctions could stymie the game

According to two prominent officials from Asia Rugby (AR) who were in Colombo to witness Sri Lanka take on Malaysia in the Asian Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship playoff on 19 April, all stakeholders linked to the defunct Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) will have to pull up their socks or face repercussions after 14 June.

The two officials of AR who visited Colombo were its Vice President Rizwan Malik – a Pakistani national – and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Benjamin van Rooyen – a South African national.

In a no-holds-barred pre-match interview with the local media, the duo, not mincing their words, laid bare the doom facing the island nation in its second most popular public sport.

This was in the event of the local body failing to stick to the World Rugby (WR) deadline, which has already been extended three times.

Following its one-sided 59-19 triumph over Malaysia, Sri Lanka managed to book their spot among the elite nations of Asia rugby including Hong Kong, Korea, and the UAE for the first time since 2015.

However, both Malik and van Rooyen cautioned the public to not get carried away with any euphoria on the field, as an off-the-field mess, unless resolved once and for all before mid-June, could cause any victory to pale into insignificance. 

Malik said that the 14 June deadline set down by WR was non-negotiable as he underscored the stance taken by AR President Qais Abdullah Al Dhalai, who had also spoken initially.

He asserted that if the governance issues were not resolved by the said date, sanctions for SLR would be inevitable, further emphasising that such a turn of events would undo all the gains made by the national team.

AR CEO van Rooyen said that any suspension of SLR’s membership by the game’s world controlling body could last for a 24-month period and even beyond it, while leading to Sri Lanka being ostracised by sponsors, fans, and the international rugby community.

He noted that Sri Lanka players would still be able to ply their trade domestically even with a suspension, yet questioned what tangible progress could be achieved if athletes did not receive the opportunity to pit their skills against foreign opposition.

Both Malik and van Rooyen are currently part of a Working Task Force (WTF) formed by World Rugby and comprising officials from AR, the National Olympic Committee (NOC), and the Sports Ministry, aimed at resolving the year-long administrative impasse.

However, they are both unimpressed with how the WTF has moved thus far, especially on the part of local officials, with the scrutiny committee yet to submit its report, according to the Asia Rugby CEO.

Therefore, the two AR representatives said they were now waiting for the verdict from the Court of Appeal tomorrow (28) to see how best the WTF could proceed with regard to implementation of constitutional amendments, introduction of transparent governance mechanisms, and supervision of democratic elections.

Van Rooyen affirmed that of all the warring parties in the local rugby upheaval, some faction would have to give in or they would be back to square one.

He argued that the offshoot of such actions on the part of local administrators would be the players standing to be the real losers, with the game itself likely to stagnate for years before it could even mull any revival.

The AR CEO added that as per the guidelines set forth by World Rugby, a new constitution would have to be adopted first by the now-defunct SLR, after which an election of office bearers should follow.

He concluded with a stark warning to the factions that were currently mired in legal battles, noting that in the event of any sanction being imposed on Sri Lanka, there would not be any guarantee as to when it could be revisited and lifted, as the Dublin-based institution only convenes quarterly.

Before parting, Malik also echoed his colleague’s sentiments, yet added that the long-lasting deadlock in the sport in Sri Lanka as well as any subsequent sanction would suit certain officials.

He said that it would, in such a background, enable them to submit their nominations for a future election without facing any undue issues either from WR or AR.

The AR Vice President said this could be the modus operandi of certain officials striving to reenter the Council of SLR.