Host teams will be dealt with

Negligibility of crowd control at rugby matches

by Jatila KARAWITA

RUGBY: President of the Rugby Referees Society of Sri Lanka - Dilroy Fernando, charged the Interim Committee of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) that it has failed to provide security to its referees. Fernando has spoken out in the wake of recent attacks on referees, while officiating in inter-school matches.

He said that if such assaults are not nipped in the bud, it could prevent referees from taking to the whistle on a full-time basis.

Fernando also warned that dearth of quality referees, has further aggravated the problem, and the few quality referees remaining would think twice before officiating in games, if the referees are attacked.

He urged the Interim Committee of the SLRFU to react swiftly and make every endeavour to stop the practice. The referees society boss failed to understand why they had failed to respond to at least four letters sent in this regard. When contacted by Sunday Observer, Chairman of the SLRFU IC, Dr. Maiya Gunasekera said that at the outset according to an arrangement reached between all inter-school and club teams and his body, the responsibility for providing security to all match officials and visiting team players had been well and truly entrusted to the host team.

"The hosts are responsible for providing whatever security possible for the visiting team and the match officials", Dr. Gunasekera asserted.

"If there is a breach of that security at any stage of the game or even soon after a match is over then they must lodge a complaint with the Police who will then take action from there."

Dr. Gunasekera stressed that he cannot condone referee attacks of any nature and if there had been any lapse of security at any recent inter-school rugby match, then the host school has to be held accountable.

He added that during the forthcoming President's Trophy Inter-School and Club Knock-Out Rugby Tournament, the games, the main controlling body will be in charge of security, but as per the ongoing Caltex League and President's League Inter-School Tournament, all home-teams have agree to ensure maximum security.

Two rugby referees attached to the Referees Society of Sri Lanka, namely Ajith Kumara and Dimuthu Jayasekera were recently assaulted at inter-school games with the former even having to be hospitalised at Avissawella.

According to a complaint lodged with the Cinnamon Gardens Police, the referee has been attacked by some members of the Colombo University rugby team where he was officiating in the match between Gampaha Bandaranayake MV and Moratu MV played at the Colombo University grounds on May 25.

One of the touch-judges, Pradeep Indika has also been manhandled by the same set of players, before the Executive Director of the SLRFU Lasitha Guneratne had taken the assaulted referee to safety in his vehicle.

Referee Ajith Kumara was subsequently admitted to the Avissawella Hospital, with several wounds to his body as a result of the assault. He left the hospital after receiving treatment to his injuries.

The match commissioner too, has come under an attack from the Colombo University team players before he had managed to escape in a ambulance.

In another separate incident, referee Dimuthu Jayasekera also had been accosted during the inter-school rugby match between Ananda and Thrustan which ended in a 22-all draw two weeks ago.

According to Referees' Society sources, spectators had been guilty of assaulting referee Jayasekera after the game, but he had managed to escape with minor injuries.

The game was played at CR & FC grounds at Longden Place.

Dr. Maiya Gunasekera emphasised that all referees be they competent or incompetent, were doing a thankless job, hence they have to be protected from physical injury at any cost.

He was the opinion that anyone found guilty of assaulting referees has to be dealt with severely by all host clubs and school teams as per the tournament regulations.