Best teams only will play in `A' div rugby - Dr. Maiya Gunasekera

Jatila KARAWITA

RUGBY: Dr. Maiya Gunasekera - the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) Interim Committee (IC) said that if any club team is keen on remaining in the top circuit of the `A' Division League Inter-Club Tournament, then all such clubs will have to make their presence felt, irrespective of their status or standing in the game.

He said any team hoping to remain among the top eight teams in the country by producing mediocre performances, will be prompty shown the door, as was the case pertaining to Old Zahirians Sports Club (OZSC).

"We asked OZSC to contest a play-off game against Navy SC on May 7 at CR and FC grounds. But they (OZSC) failed to turn up for the match, for reasons best known to them and the referee had to award a `walk-over' to Navy SC who turned up for the match."

Dr. Gunasekera told reporters at a press conference held at SLRFU head office last Tuesday in connection with the Caltex League Tournament which kicked off last Friday (May 15).

Dr. Gunasekera said that he was at a loss to understand the logic behind OZSC's blatant refusal to contest a play-off against Navy SC, given the Colombo 10 based club's morale-shattering performances in the past two successive seasons (2007 & 2008), where they had conceded a staggering total of over 500 points, while scoring less than a combined total of 30 points in the process.

"The only way to gauge the strength and the eligibility of a team is to have a play-off.

This I explained to Navy SC and OZSC, but the former agreed and the latter not only disagreed, they even failed to turn up for the game," the SLRFU IC boss said.

"Facts are stubborn and they don't lie.

"We were only trying to be fair and impartial to OZSC by opting for a play off, because the SLRFU IC could easily have relegated them to the `B' Division by virtue of their demoralising performances in the past two seasons where they ended up as the woodenspoonists in the points table.

"But, we didn't want to do that, and even asked the Navy SC to play in that game, as we were not sure of the sailors own form, having been out of competitive rugby for three years, due to national duty in the North-East."

Dr. Gunasekera said that being the sport's main controlling body here, his committee at times have to take tough decisions like in the case of OZSC, and lucidly explained that from an international rugby perspective, all mediocre teams have been excluded from the top tier `A' of the Asian Five Nations by the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU).

He said the ARFU has been `pretty strict' in formulating the format of the Asian Five Nations Tier `A' and `B' tournament, whereby they taken measures not to pit overwhelmingly powerful teams against out and out weak teams.

Dr. Gunasekera stressed the SLRFU IC, too, has taken the cue from the ARFU in confining the 2009 Caltex League to just eight teams, whereby they have done their best to minimise lop-sided matches, which could have a drastic and negative impact on the spectators.

The SLRFU IC Chief noted that if the OZSC could present their case to the Minister of Sports and can get his approval to be included in the top-eight of the `A' Division tournament, then it will be fine by him.

"The Minister, as you all know, has overiding powers vested in him under the Sports Law", he said and added that the Minister can overturn any decision made by any sports association or IC. "Well, that is the law governing all sports in this country, and we are quite comfortable with it, but this is the decision we took in consultation with the Tournament Committee of the SLRFU, with regard to OZSC."

He added that OZSC's failure to honour their play-off engagement against Navy SC, was a clear case of taking things to their own hands, and questioned the purpose of having a SLRFU if any club is not willing to abide by the decisions taken by the game's main governing body.

Asked whether the Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC will be comfortable with a possible re-inclusion of a sub-standard team like OZSC, by an order made by the Minister of Sports, its CEO cum MD Kishu Gomes, emphasised as inter-club League and Knock-Out sponsor, his firm was ready to abide by whatever ruling, made by either the Minister of Sports or the SLRFU.