- Umar satisfied with national coach
- Sri Lanka Football’s ‘Next Chapter’ gathers steam
- Out to explore regional tourney in the lead up to SAFF Cup
As part of the newly launched ‘The Next Chapter’ programme of Sri Lanka Football, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) renewed the current contract of Men’s national team head coach Abdullah Almutairi, its President Jaswar Umar told The Daily Morning Sports.
According to the FFSL President, the renewal follows talks held between the former and the Kuwaiti national, regarding the future direction and ambitions of Sri Lanka Football.
During this discussion, president Umar had expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the head coach’s commitment, professionalism, and positive results delivered over the past two-year period.
He also outlined the new objectives and performance targets that Sujan Perera’s team is expected to achieve under the FFSL’s strategic development framework, ‘The Next Chapter’.
Coach Almutairi concluded his first tenure with notable success, helping Sri Lanka achieve significant progress on the international stage.
Under his leadership, the national team markedly improved its FIFA ranking, rising from 205 to 187 while registering an impressive number of international victories and positive results within a relatively short span.
President Jaswar Umar stated that he was content with the achievements delivered during Almutairi’s first stint in charge, and the successful competition of key performance targets.
As a result, the FFSL had no hesitation in offering the former coach of Nepal, a contract extension, reflecting the Federation’s trust and confidence in his coaching ability, leadership and technical expertise.
Under Almutairi’s watch Sri Lanka have posted remarkable wins in FIFA Friendlies as well as in regional tournaments - most prominent of them being beating Turkmenistan 1-0 in Colombo in 2025 for the first time in history, as part of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
It was also under his guidance that the Lankans beat Bhutan 1-0 in October 2024 World Cup Qualifiers – which incidentally was also their first World Cup Qualifier triumph since 2015.
His next target would be steering the island-nation to only its second SAFF Championship title in Bangladesh in November after a 31-year wait, when the ‘Golden Army’ savoured success under Sampath Perera in the then SAFF Gold Cup final against India in the final at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.
With the renewed mandate, coach Almutairi will now lead the implementation of the FFSL’s new technical and competitive objectives, including preparations for upcoming international competitions (Men’s SAFF Cup) and the Federation’s long-term vision for the national team’s success.
The renewal also marks another important step in ‘The Next Chapter’ initiative, as Sri Lanka Football continues to strengthen its foundations, increase its competitiveness, and build greater visibility and success at both regional and global levels.
Football in Sri Lanka is steadily progressing across all areas, supported by a clear, unified vision, strong leadership, and a commitment to sustainable development, the FFSL further added in its media statement.
Asked of any international commitments for the national team between now and the start of the Men’s SAFF Cup in Dhaka in November, Umar noted that the FFSL was looking into the modalities of lining up a regional competition.
He added that its finalisation was yet to be confirmed but expressed hope that some form of competition could be organised for the team to fine tune its preparations and in the lead up to the region’s most prestigious football tournament.