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| Sunday, 21 August 2005 |
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Straight talk by Lal Gunesekera Disgraceful behaviour by cricket official What an embarrassment a senior official of the Tour Organising Committee is causing the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The latest episode involving this official was witnessed at the Premadasa Stadium where the final of the Indian Oil sponsored Triangular was staged between Sri Lanka and India on August 9. Here he was in a state of intoxication with his arms round the Chairman of SLC's Interim Committee, Jayantha Dharmadasa, and the Indian cricket chief, Ranbin Singh Mahendra, much to the embarrassment of the two cricket chiefs. This was the same official who smuggled in liquor in the boot of his vehicle into the VIP Room of the Dambulla International Cricket Stadium during Sri Lanka's game with India on July 30 against a certain clause of the agreement signed between the then Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) and the Rangiri Dambulu Raja Maha Vihare on whose land the stadium has been built. Now that the Triangular is over, I wonder what action the Chairman of the Interim Committee, Jayantha Dharmadasa, contemplates taking against this official? It has also been brought to my notice that tickets for the final were printed over and above what was needed and some tickets did not have the usual seal of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and even the security sticker was "missing" unlike in the Asia Cup in 2004. Why and who was responsible for this? This was one of the main reasons that hundreds of spectators were unable to get into the stadium and were even batton-charged by Police. Romeo and Juliet A handsome Indian left-arm seamer (one of three) who figured in the final of the Triangular was involved in a Romeo and Juliet episode at the Five-Star Hotel the teams were accommodated in Colombo. The Sri Lankan lass, who was an employee of the hotel, was found in the room of this Indian cricketer and even lost her job. Forced entry? Another senior official from a club in the Kalutara District with clout with the Interim Committee of SLC tried to "throw" his weight around at the entrance to the Premadasa Stadium which was the venue for the final of the Indian Oil Cup game between Sri Lanka and India. He had arrived at the entrance in his vehicle with about three of his personal body guards and tried to force his way through. He even did not possess tickets to gain entry and the security guards at the entrance did not permit them entry. What did he do in the end? He got through to a member of the National Development Committee of SLC on his mobile phone and this official managed to get entry to the so-called "heavy weight" to make his entrance. Without tickets of course! Five-Star accommodation The hotelier turned media pundit of SLC had co-ordinated the accommodation of the Indian journalists who had arrived in the country for the recent Triangular. He had booked them into the same Five-Star Hotel where he is also employed (perhaps to show that he can get them business) but at a much higher rate than the Indian scribes found was charged at another Five-Star hotel in the city. The Indians were mad and the local media pundit was at the receiving end of some 'Queen's English' to boot. The same media pundit who is yet been hounded by a state bank for not settling his credit card bills amounting to nearly Rs. 2 lakhs has called for a letter of explanation from a lass who is employed in the Media Unit of SLC for not coming to work for two days. Perhaps this media pundit had wanted certain letters drafted by this young lass. This seems to be the reason why he had lost his cool. No aid for Cricket-Aid Overseas aid for Cricket-Aid set up by SLC after the Boxing Day tsunami has come to a standstill since March when the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Jeevan Kumaratunga, thought it fit to dissolve the elected body and appoint an Interim Committee headed by Jayantha Dharmadasa. Foreign donors are not willing to make any contribution at all to Cricket-Aid as cricket in the country is not run by elected officials. For three months nearly 800 orphaned children in the tsunami affected areas have not been receiving any model villages assistance from Cricket-Aid and even work involved in the building of four has come to a standstill with the government not yet releasing the land. Cricket-Aid was started by Thilanga Sumathipala and former Sri Lanka Test captain Hashan Tillekeratne continues as its head for the present. Many others who were attached to Cricket-Aid found their services terminate with the Interim Committee taking over the reigns of SLC. What a sad state of affairs for this humanitarian project. Indeed they are jokers! They (the MCA) are certainly a bunch of jokers as I have mentioned in my column on earlier occasions. Remember the Kelum Gangodawila affair? He was found employed by two establishments - Nawaloka and Cricket-Aid, but he turned out for the former in the Mercantile 'B' Division final against Seylan Bank. Nawaloka won and Seylan Bank protested. It took many months for the Executive Committee of MCA to take a decision after recommendations by the Tournament Committee and even the Disciplinary Committee who did not even call upon Gangodawila or Cricket-Aid to give evidence at the hearings. Gangodawila was suspended for a period of two years from playing in Mercantile Cricket, and a letter to this effect was even sent to Seylan Bank. But what has happened now? This letter was recalled through a courier by MCA and another letter sent to state that Gangodawila has been suspended for three years. What about Nawaloka? What action has the MCA taken against them? Nawaloka should have been stripped of their 'B' Division title, but they have been given a "suspended" sentence of a mere one year. Come, Come MCA. I know for certain whom you are trying to please. The MCA even got two former office-bearers to sit in the Disciplinary Committee for this inquiry. They were Bertie Fernando (a former President) and Linton Jayaweera (a former Secretary). This committee is headed by Ramesh Schaffter and also includes Kumar Weerasuriya and Chris Obeyesekera (another former President). Only on-line tickets now SriLankan Airlines used to issue return air tickets to all overseas players and team officials for the Kandy Sports Club organised Singer-SriLankan Airlines International Rugby 7's from any destination. But now, the airline have decided to issue only on-line air tickets citing the high cost of aviation fuel in the world market etc. It would have been a big loss for the organisers to find the balance money required for the air tickets, but I understand that the International Rugby Board (IRB) has stepped into assist them with a grant of Sterling Pounds 30,000 which is to be utilised even for the extra cost involved with Japan, South Korea, Guan and Kazakhastan arriving in the country early for the 7's to be staged at Nittawela on September 9, 10 and 11. I also understand that this year's 7's is to be tagged as an Asian Region IRB Satellite event and that India and Thailand are down to host similar tournaments in 2006 and 2007. I also hear that complaints have been made about the food served at the hotel and distance involved between the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and Kandy, and that logistically, Kandy, the hill capital is not suitable due to this. But now I understand that the organisers are making plans for early arrivals to stay at the hotel in close proximity to the BIA overnight and then travel to Kandy, but there are views that the IRB should insist that Colombo stage the tournament in future. This is debatable. SLBA writes Consequent to "Independent my foot" in my column last week (August 14), the Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA) writes and admits that the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Tony Perera, was requested to accompany just one player for the World Championship in USA as manager. The SLBA states that no official from the SLBA was willing to make the tour at their own expense, and only Perera had indicated that he can meet his expenses. Further, the SLBA states that national selectors have gone on tours earlier to get "first hand knowledge of world standards". However, I yet say that national selectors should be independent from controlling bodies. The SLBA has a right to express their views. To say that selectors have gone as managers earlier to obtain first hand knowledge of world standards, is a very flimsy excuse. If they have done it in the past, it is wrong. Also, there are coaches who should know about world standards and not selectors. I wonder what Minister Kumaratunga and his officials at the Ministry have
to say about the SLBA excuses. |
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