Former President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Thilanga Sumathipala, says the onus is on minister of sports Navin Dissanayake to explain to the people the ‘real’ reasons behind his move to appoint an interim committee to oversee the country’s most popular sport.
“I think the minister of sports has to clear the air on the issue of the formation of the interim committee,” Sumathipala, the UPFA Colombo District MP, told reporters on the sidelines of a SLFP news briefing held at its Darley Road head office on Wednesday.
“He (minister) had taken the decision to postpone the SLC AGM by a month due to the ICC World Cup. But, for reasons best known to the minister, he dispensed with the AGM on the agenda and decided to install an interim committee and so far he has not revealed the real reasons behind it and I challenge him to do so.”
Sumathipala said it was foolhardy on the part of the government to opt for an interim committee for cricket when the ICC had enacted a law three years ago to the effect that all politically motivated interim committees by its full-member nations will be declared null and void.
The UPFA Colombo District MP said he had personally told minister of sports Navin Dissanayake not to be hasty in appointing an interim committee to SLC while doing away with the AGM.
Sumathipala charged Dissanayake has jeopardized the future of the game in a country where his late father is held in high esteem connected to the sport.
“But, he (minister) took my warning at the time rather lightly and now the SLC facing the music as a result of it. It is a known fact the ICC will not release a cent to any full-member nation where the sport is administered through an interim committee.”
Sources have revealed that a sum of $US 11 million due to be released by the ICC to SLC has been withheld by the world body due to the on-going impasse between the two boards.
Sumathipala also warned the government if the on-going impasse with the ICC is not resolved amicably, it could seriously imperil cricket in the country both from a financial and administrative standpoint.
Sports minister Dissanayake sacked the previous board and appointed a nine-member panel headed by Sidath Wettimuny to “clean up” corruption at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) early this month.
Earlier this week, the new SLC management in a letter to David Richardson, the Chief Executive of ICC, said they were “shocked” by the ICC decision and expected monies due to them will be released without further delay.
The ICC had said the minister’s action in naming an interim panel was a breach of its constitution, which requires free and fair elections of office-bearers at a member board.
