“Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy” international soccer tourney from today

The Sri Lankan Football’s great extravaganza is back after almost two years, when the Inaugural Four Nations International Invitation Soccer Tournament conducted by the Football Sri Lanka (FSL) in conjunction with Ministry of Youth and Sports for the “Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy” will kick off today.

The curtain raiser match between Bangladesh and Seychelles has been postponed for 9 November (Tuesday) due to heavy rain. The playing and the surrounding areas are water logged and due this reason both teams agreed to play on the next day, after a request made by the organisers. The second match will be competed as scheduled at 9 p.m. under lights.

Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy

The first ever International tournament conducted by the FSL will attract teams from Bangladesh, Maldives, Seychelles and host Sri Lanka. The curtain raiser fixture will be between Bangladesh and the Seychelles.

The team Sri Lanka will take on the Maldives in their first match at 9 p.m. under lights. Experienced skipper Sujan Perera will lead the Lankan camp which took part at the SAFF Soccer Tournament in Maldives. They put up a belligerent performance against the today’s rivals losing 1-0 after a closely contested game. Under home conditions with a fresh approach, the hosts are rated as one of the strong contenders for the title.

“We are happy the way how we performed in Male in the recent SAFF tournament. We have carried forwards a lots of positives from there but still a long way to go as a team.”said SL coach Amir Alagic.

“The present squad consists of few under-23 players who played in Qatar recently in the Asian tournament. But they are yet to get the exposure at this level. But overall we hope to give our best for the country.” concluded Alagic.

The Maldivian side is brimming with confidence after they were adjudged as the most promising team in the tournament hosted by them. They are now under the watchful eyes of Francesco Moriero from Italy who has been drafted in as the new technical commissioner.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team are currently ranked in the 187 position in the FIFA ratings will take on the Seychelles who are slated 199 in the same rankings. Bangladesh under the influence of their new coach Mario Lemos who was the former youth coach of Manchester United are tipped as one of the favourites of winning this tournament. In the concluded five Nations SAFF Football Tournament they too put up an admirable performance. They notched up few wins including one over Sri Lanka. According to team sources their squad consist of some talented players. On the other hand, noting much is known about Seychelles but they too are capable of turning tables.

The matches are open to fully vaccinated fans at 50% of the stadium’s capacity, with limited passes and tickets being sold. Sri Lankan and overseas fans will be clearly segregated and allocated different pavilions to ensure safety protocol abiding by Covid-19 health guidelines.

The tournament will be conducted on a Round-robin basis where each team will compete against each other once, and the top two advance to the finals. The winner will take away the prestigious Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy, which has been designed using valuable Sri Lankan natural quartz stones that have been certified by gemologists, along with USD 30,000.

The grand opening ceremony is to be graced by Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the president of the Republic of Maldives, along with Namal Rajapaksa, the Minister of Youth and Sports, and other high profile dignitaries from both Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The opening ceremony is expected to be highly colorful with a performance of the football theme song by the famous artists, Bathiya and Santhush, Umaria, Randhir and team, along with a special act to showcase the traditions of all 4 participating countries.

The grand finale is scheduled to be played on the 19th of November, Friday, at 8 PM with the attendance of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, along with FIFA President, Gianni Infantino.

On each match a day, the 8th, 11th and 14th of November, 2 matches will be played- one at 4 PM and the other at 9 PM. All media can receive information by contacting FFSL Media through media@ffsl.lk.