• SLSRFR asks SLR to settle 2017-2020 arrears
• Pending payments of Rs. 6.9 m to referees

The Sri Lanka Society of Rugby Football Referees (SLSRFR) has issued a letter of demand to Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) calling for the settlement of arrears of almost Rs. 7 million – dating back to 2017 through 2020 – prior to the commencement of the 2022/’23 season, The Sunday Morning Sports learns.

The letter, a copy of which The Sunday Morning Sports has in its possession, notes that the referees will not take the field during the upcoming matches scheduled for next weekend in the event the payments are not made.

As per the letter dated 29 November 2022 issued by the SLSRFR, a default payment of Rs. 6,992,000 is yet to be made for the services rendered by the referees. These payments are due for services rendered during 2017 to 2020.

The SLSRFR letter states that during the general meeting among SLSRFR officials, it had been decided that the referees would boycott the 2022/’23 season unless a 50% payment of the pending amount for 2017-2020 was made.

While these older payments are long overdue, the payments for the 2021/’22 season have already been made with only a discrepancy of Rs. 30,000 owed for the national trials in 2021. SLR also claims that it has made all necessary payments for the tournament which took place this year.

The current administration has also pledged to pay 50% of the default payment from the 2017-2020 dues in instalments. 

SLSRFR President Dinka Pieris told The Sunday Morning Sports that the administration had not paid this amount due to the lack of funds. 

According to Pieris, while the current administration has agreed to discuss the matter and come to an understanding, these attempts have proved futile. 

Despite having thrown down the gauntlet on the matter, SLSRFR however said the body was more than willing to discuss the issue with SLR and come to an understanding.

Meanwhile, the SLSRFR President claims that repeated requests for a seat at the council to enable them to have voting rights have gone unheard.

However, according to the SLR Constitution, the SLSRFR President is not in a position to sit at the SLR council meeting as the Constitution specifies that those who have not played any A Division Rugby are not permitted a seat at the council. 

Challenging this, the SLSRFR has pointed out that several provincial unions are allowed in the council despite not having played A Division Rugby. 

The Sunday Morning Sports learns that despite several efforts by SLR to invite an eligible person from SLSRFR, the union has failed to respond. 

In this backdrop, questions have been raised over the timing of the letter, especially as it could hinder the upcoming Rugby League, which is scheduled to kick off on 9 December. 

Despite its disappointment on how the SLSRFR has dealt with the matter, SLR told The Sunday Morning Sports that SLR would hold an emergency council meeting to come to a decision in this regard.

Meanwhile, the SLSRFR President said he was thankful that the current SLR President had made all payments correctly during the terms under his watch, but that the letter had been sent following a collective decision by SLSRFR members.

Payment disputes aside, given that all the clubs have already invested heavily in preparation for the tournament, it would be unfair to postpone the tournament at this stage and the course of action chosen by the SLSRFR could jeopardise all the efforts made by the SLR, the clubs, and the players. 

However, the SLSRFR President emphasised that the referees had no intention of jeopardising the league.