• Umar warns of legal action against NOCSL

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has informed the President of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) via email on Tuesday (3) that the local body should take prompt action to address its internal disputes amicably.

This is in accordance with the Olympic Charter, the IOC-approved NOCSL Constitution, and basic principles in line with the Olympic Movement.

IOC NOC Relations Department Associate Director – Institutional and Governance Services Jerome Poivey has issued this communiqué to NOCSL President Suresh Subramaniam over the past week.

This is related to the stance taken by Subramaniam to ban Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar from attending the Special General Meeting (SGM) of the NOCSL fixed for Saturday (14).

As per the advice from the IOC, the latter has informed the NOCSL President to facilitate Umar’s participation in its forthcoming SGM and to convey the same to the FFSL President. 

Speaking to the media, Subramaniam had claimed that the NOCSL had resorted to its actions following directives purportedly issued by the IOC and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) due to an alleged disciplinary investigation being conducted against Umar.

The NOCSL probe has stemmed from Umar having written a letter to a State-run bank seeking clarification on NOCSL financial matters. However, the FFSL President had made representations to Olympic House claiming that it was not an offence and that it was his right instead.

Furthermore, Umar had made submissions to both the IOC and the OCA stating his concerns, as well as reasons why his intervention should not be considered an offence.

Umar, speaking to the media on Thursday (5) at Football House, said that in response to a letter sent by him as FFSL President, the IOC had sent the aforementioned letter through email to the NOCSL President.

“Seeking information under the Right to Information Act cannot be taken as an offence, nor shall it be subjected to any sanctions as it is a fundamental right,” Umar said, explaining as to why he wrote to the bank inquiring into the financial status of the NOCSL.

“The other point is that I am not under any investigation by either the IOC or the OCA to date. I am not under any probe whatsoever.”

Umar explained that he was not a member of the Executive Board of the NOCSL, adding that he was only a delegate of a federation and thus sanctions could not be imposed on him in view of an SGM as he was not an official.

He added that the nature of his letter to the bank had been intended to protect NOCSL funds due to a forensic audit being undertaken to ascertain the accurate picture with regard to alleged corruption and fraud taking place during a span of 10 years from 2016 onwards.

Umar stressed that the IOC had categorically instructed Olympic House to sort out its internal issues within its corridors instead of dragging world bodies into such cases.

He added that if the General Assembly of the NOCSL decided to impose a sanction on his participation at the impending SGM, he would abide by it as that would be in line with the NOCSL Constitution.

However, he emphasised that the Executive Board could not take decisions arbitrarily to prevent delegates of federations from attending the SGM while simultaneously being fearful of them contesting the next election of office bearers. 

When asked whether he had been barred from attending the SGM of the NOCSL next week, Umar insisted that he would explore all possible avenues to hold those preventing his participation accountable for their actions, warning that it could even amount to legal action.

The long-serving football boss is widely perceived to be a frontrunner for the top post at the NOCSL elections, which are due to be held before 30 April this year.