Call of duty: Infinite warfare

If PS or X Box were looking to create a brand-new game for the subcontinent, they need not look any further. Sri Lankan schools’ rugby provides the perfect backdrop and storyline of a tribal faceoff. The after-match fireworks and the tactical posturing is that of a ghetto brawl. They could call it, “Thug life: Rugger buggars” or “Breaking bottles and throwing plastic chairs”. PS Pro and X Box 360 Elite versions. 

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The weekend past, ironically marked nine years since the end of the civil war.  As if that wasn’t enough, a minority of street thugs in the guise of rugby fans started what was the most violent weekend (to date) in SL schools’ rugby. It is a shockingly sad state of affairs and mercifully, no one was seriously hurt. It was a step up from fisticuffs and verbal abuse to direct threats and objects being hurled at the opposition fans. It was definitely R18. 

 The nucleus of this unease and tension stems from referees and a perceived bias and or their incompetence to make correct calls. A disgusting and ridiculous excuse, to resort to the antics we are witnessing. It is simply and utterly inexcusable and above all criminal. I will address this aspect later in this piece but for now let’s look at how it all unfolded, especially at Longden Place. 

 Last Saturday, we witnessed several, separate incidents– scenes reminiscent of a political rally where two sets of supporters come to a head and bash each other. Bodily harm and serious injury are inevitable.  

 The Wesley V Royal (and Science V DSS emerged with) footage and LIVE pictures, where chairs, bottles, signage, food and even footwear was hurled at each other. Ugly scenes and the perpetrators showing off their true colors for the world to see. 

It started with the referee who was escorted to the safety of the change rooms through the playing field, seemingly like a minister being whisked away through the Hilton lobby– the level of protection around him was immense. On the back of a lengthy stoppage where the ref. Dinka Peiris was reluctant to continue to play as a section of Wesley supporters standing (old grandstand) behind a fence encroached onto the playing area, seemingly dispatched from the Olympus Mons, “allegedly” calling out and making verbal threats to the officials. After about ten minutes of the game being halted, it restarted with escalating unease. 

Those at the grounds would have been able to cut this tension with a knife, especially parents who had their young children in the vicinity. 

 All this– as abuse and physical threats was being made towards Peiris by individuals or groups of wannabe gangsters. As time had it, the game ends with the ball being held up on the Wesley line. Final whistle which was the cue to what was about to unfold. 

Then, as if the retribution had landed at the CR&FC car park, another group of supporters, who were marching forward cheering R-O-Y-A-L, wanting to go to and support their victorious team came into view. A normal occurrence in most team sports. This was met with catcalls, threats and provocative gestures from pockets of resistance and the odd lone wolf. It is an interesting play, almost as if baiting the UNSA. They are obviously inspired by the rogue tactics of Admiral Salen Kotch on Capt. Nick Reyes, the antagonist, and hero from Infinite warfare. It seems as if these agitated and frustrated individuals, believe –it is their ‘Call of Duty’. 

This is fake heroism and it’s the badge of honor based on “Bash the opponent if your team can’t do the business on the field”. The gutter logic which defies what sport and civil society are all about. 

In a moment of cowardice, an individual hurls a plastic chair like a little weasel blindsiding a fellow pokemon– retreats as if nothing ever happened. All this clearly captured on camera. Amongst all of this, a member of the visitors’ coaching staff tries to calm a would-be attacker, gets ganged up on and then, set upon. Only some of his supporters and also a counter-attack launched in the form of a table and more chairs, save him from a pasting. On the periphery, various forms of signage, food, bottles, and slippers are also hurled. 

In the Science V DSS encounter, the pictures were no different. Mobs of unruly spectators chasing after one another resembled a war zone. Footage of a female spectator who got involved in the melee being allegedly assaulted has also started doing the online rounds. 

In the Friday night feature, despite the heavy rain, some idiot just could not help but hurl a bottle into the playing field as Kingswood battled St Peters.  

In Kandy, where Vidyartha and Dharmaraja battled in a spiteful game, again the ref was targeted and needed a security blanket to make it back to safety. S Thomas’, who beat Maliyadeva, saw similar antics of the ref being threatened. The only diamond shining in a goat’s ear was the draw played out between Pathana and Trinity. 

Ridiculous, isn’t it? This is what the game has been reduced to and what we have come to expect.  Seemingly normalized by some strange justification, sparked by a minority– or so we believe. 

The reason why I graphically described all the action, literally a scene from Gangs of New York, is not to apportion blame but to highlight the level of stupidity and phony heroism demonstrated by these wannabes.  It is after all an amateur game of schoolboy rugby and there is more to life than winning or losing. 

So why the systematic upheaval and at times, calculated violence? Are Sri Lankans or more specifically, schools’ rugby fans this savage and intellectually benign that they have to respond with verbal and physical thuggery to what they believe is bad decision making? 

There is an answer to this which has a root cause. That being what we are seeing from these spectators is by and large a systematic degeneration and a mirror image of what society has become. Monkey see monkey do. I am not going to sound like some preacher or fake politician who preaches love and peace with cringe-worthy social media posts/memes. 

Instead, target a simple dilemma and an agent of change. 

An inability to understand the process and unwillingness to engage in this process in a meaningful way is at the heart of this, allowing some rugby followers to let the thug in them emerge. Much like Bruce Banner and the Incredible Hulk- a mutation causing this change of state. More often than not, believing their opinion trumps any process which needs to be followed. This process, of course, is broken. That being a logical, prescribed manner in which any erroneous or incompetent officiating MUST be addressed. 

Bad refereeing isn’t exclusive to Sri Lanka and schools rugby. It happens everywhere. Take super rugby and international rugby for example. Over the last fortnight, some hideous decisions and misses were the highlight from Crusaders V Waratahs and Crusaders V Blues. Ref’s, AR’s and TMO’s alike were visually challenged– with all the applicable tech in place. The worst, an “undetected” cheap shot from Crusaders prop Joe Moody on Warratah Curtly Beale. To compound matters Ref. Ben O’Keefe is a qualified optometrist. Spec savers or Albert Edirisinghe much? 

Recall the third All Blacks V Lions test from last year? That absurd scrum as opposed to penalty call? Wayne Barnes and his not so forward call on a 3-meter forward pass which kicked the All Blacks out of the 2007 RWC? How much of a bashing do they then deserve? Get my point?

As a collective, fans and supporters from respective schools need to put pressure on the powers that be and communicate this, asking for accountability. It has to happen, that of scrutinizing professional, paid referees, just like in any other vocation. We cannot, however, substitute this with street justice. 

Breaking bones and the level of violence which they are willing to inflict is completely inexcusable. Unless we as a whole are unable to understand and work this part through, nothing will change. It will only get worse. 

To put it into context, if any of those thugs are reading this, every time you make an error; photocopy the wrong document at your office or make the wrong cup of tea for those who you suck up to, you should be getting a grand old flogging. Comprehend? That’s exactly how these refs, who are condemned for their mistakes are being treated. 

Incompetence and bias are two very separate matters. You find both, in varying degrees, be it Sri Lanka or anywhere on earth. Misconstruing one for the other with misguided self-righteousness does NOT give anyone the right to break the law, assault or beat up on anyone. In short, not every mistake a ref makes equates to him or her being bent. 

This now has to become a critical issue for law enforcement. Any spectator willing to cross the line will have to be dealt with and face consequences. After all, if you’re willing to give it, then surely, you MUST be prepared to cop it. We all know what “copping it” means in Sri Lanka.

If you viewed the pictures of the “main-event brawl” from the WC V RC game, there were a number of uniformed police officers attempting to “settle” matters, when in clear view punches, kicks and objects were flying. 

Referees society boss Nizam Jamaldeen, has now come out and stated that his referees will NOT officiate in any games involving Wesley, Zahira, and Maliyadeva. Zahira, an issue where the ref and team coach were involved in a heated exchange resulting in Shamly Nawaz (coach) being dismissed from the bench.

Boycotting games is an extreme measure in the short term but I can understand why. Personal safety and the well-being of a fellow human is far more important than any amount of rugby. Furthermore, there is that real threat of a very serious injury or even worse. 

Read: Referees will not blow at Wesley, Zahira and Maliyadeva games

The most poignant moment from the day was when an innocent young child, a junior player from a game earlier in the day, struck by a projectile was being comforted with ice by his worried mother. Collateral damage in an episode of madness. A terrible advertisement for the game. On a day and weekend where arguably, the seasons best game of rugby happened, the focal point has now become hooliganism and violence.

For many years during the height of the civil war, the most dangerous profession was being a member of the Sri Lankan armed forces. Almost ten years on, after much sacrifice and bloodshed, this has now been replaced by being a professional rugby referee in SL.