Amid a spate of resignations and fears of blind side moves even at the last minute, Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) introduced and unveiled its new commercial partner amid total secrecy on Thursday with the inter club season almost halfway through.
But the unveiling could not cover up the fact that rugby went through one of its most turbulent periods in its 150-year history with backstage politics threatening to disrupt the League and the sport’s head more determined to send a message to his detractors amid claims and counter claims of sabotage.
“I tried to keep it (sponsorship) as secret as possible but nothing can be kept secret in this country. Even I did not know there was a surprise for me” declared the head of SLR Rizly Illyas as he pulled down a black curtain while going through the process of launching their newest stakeholder Nippon Paint at a heavily attended media event at the Ramada Hotel in Colombo.
But claiming there was nothing worrisome in the run-up to enticing Nippon Paint, Illyas declined to reveal the amount pumped in to run the League and other affairs other than say it was a “multi-million rupee” deal struck within the shortest period of time.
“We worked tirelessly but in the end it took us just five working days to put this sponsorship together and we spoke a lot,” said Illyas whose Committee ran seven weeks of the season without counting profits or benefactor gains.
Illyas revealed SLR needed an estimated Rs 256 million to run its affairs annually in the present contest that includes preparing and fielding teams at international events and paying players on a semi professional basis.
As he walked a political minefield in a way his predecessors did not, Ilyas was also accused of taking a dictatorial stance in dealing with potential sponsors and triggering subsequent resignations.
But his supporters say he’s got enough matter to paint them (detractors) black.
For now rugby’s newest stakeholder sees a new horizon ahead. “Rugby is one of the biggest spectator sports in the country. It has a huge patronage”, said Nippon Paint general manager Nemantha Abeysinghe.