“E. B. Channa digging his own grave is his own doing, but he is trying to pull us into the grave by giving the impression that it was the federation’s fault” – Mr. Ranjith Rodrigo, Chairman Media and Finance, Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL).
With the DCL super 8’s around the corner, the recent press conference held to announce the rescheduled fixtures saw the discussion of many issues, with E. B. Channa’s odd predicament being one of them.
Former President of the FFSL and current Chairman of Media and Finance, Mr, Ranjith Rodrigo addressed the problem with no sympathy to the player, claiming that it was Channa who shaped his own life, not the federation.
Channa represented the National team for 16 years and was also eventually handed the captaincy armband. Furthermore, during what could be described as an illustrious football career domestically, he represented some of Sri Lanka’s top clubs, such as Ratnam SC, Blue Star SC, and Solid SC, becoming one of the highest paid footballers in the country. However, his downfall in the game and his life came in 2010, when he was caught for match fixing, earning him a 1 year suspension.
According to Mr. Rodrigo, ‘He was given many lucrative jobs due to his credentials, during his time of suspension from national team duty, thus enabling him to lead a sustainable life. However, he expected more than just that, and turned down all the opportunities’
‘During this time Mr. Sarath Weerasekara even helped him get a job at Dimo to get a stable income, only to see him coming for the cheque and not for work’, a furious Mr. Rodrigo went on to say.
Mr. Rodrigo went on to say that the FFSL always has the players’ best interests at heart but that there is a part the players themselves need to play. ‘The federation has gone out of the contract to ensure a stable wellbeing for the players, other than the mandatory support of food, accommodation, travelling and living expenses while on duty.’
‘Sportsmen in the country have to understand that this is not a 1st world country where they are comprehensively covered, this is Sri Lanka and they have to work hard in order to have a stable life.’
Mr. Rodrigo added that the FFSL conducted coaching programmes for past players in order to ensure that their talents are being utilised for the growth of the game in the country, an opportunity which Channa decided to forego. He gave the example of Dudley Steinwall completing the programme with a ‘B’ license which landed him many opportunities in coaching local teams, as well as international teams.
In the case of Channa, the fantasy world of a European player may have seemed very much in sight, however, in reality, it was never even a possibility to begin with, given the standing of the sport in the country.
The reason for Mr. Rodrigo’s disgust stems from the fact that this is the 1st time such an incident has occurred. ‘Even in the other less funded sports, no such incident has occurred, which has added fuel to the already burning status of the Federation ’. He cited former cricketers and footballers, who have not achieved the stardom that Channa had achieved but have somehow shaped their lives in sustainable ways that would not bring disgrace to the respective authorities, to themselves or to the game.
Mr. Rodrigo concluded by stating that many aspiring youths trying to achieve stardom in the game should take this incident as an example and learn from it for there to be progress in the development of the sport in the country.
Statements such as these made by a high ranking official of the FFSL really makes one wonder if Channa’s predicament is a result of his own short-sighted actions or if the federation itself could be blamed for incidences such as these.
.){kind=link}