Selection dispute still not solved

By Lal Gunasekera

RUGBY: The issue between the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) and the national selectors regarding the non inclusion of four players from Kandy Sports Club in the national side for the Singer Asiad to be staged in Colombo from November 3 to 10 still continues without any breakthrough.

The four players (Sanjeewa Jayasinghe, Dushan Lewke, Fazil Marija and Imran Bisthamin) were granted permission by the SLRFU to witness the Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and England in France.

However, the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Anton Benedict, told the Sunday Observer that the SLRFU had not informed the national selectors about the visit to France by the four players concerned. He said: Discipline has to be maintained at any cost. They missed several practice sessions due to their overseas trip.

The Minister of Sports, Gamini Lokuge, had met both the hierarchy of the SLRFU and national selectors on this matter and requested th 4at the best possible side should be selected to represent the country at the Singer Asiad.

However, chief selector Anton Benedict, is adamant that the four players cannot be picked under "any circumstances" and that he (Benedict) is willing to step down if the four players are included in the Sri Lanka side by Minister Lokuge. The other national selectors are Ravi Wijenathan, Lasitha Gunaratne, Hemantha Yatawara and Norman Silva.

The Secretary of the SLRFU, Fazal Mohamed, told the Sunday Observer that the SLRFU Council met yesterday (Saturday), but did not discuss this issue". They (the Council) had only discussed about the organisational aspects of the tournament. He further said that the SLRFU had not heard anything from Minister Lokuge upto last evening.

Minister Gamini Lokuge and chief selector Anton Benedict were unavailable to make any comments on this stalemate.