Sri Lankan soccerites brimming with confidence

On Sep 28, 2021

The Sri Lanka National Football team left for Maldives to participate in the 13th SAFF Football Championship to be held from October 1 to 16 at National Football Stadium in Male.

Sujan Perera the dynamic and experienced goal keeper will lead the 33-member squad consisting of 22 players and 11 officials. They will take on defending champions Maldives, India, Bangladesh and Nepal respectively in a round robin encounter where the two top teams will qualify to play in the grand final on the 16 October. The curtain raiser fixture will be between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh teams which is scheduled to kick-off at 4.30 p.m. Lankan local time.

The Lankan camp is a mixed of youth and experienced players. They will regain the services of three overseas players namely Wazeem Razik and Dillon de Silva the two speedy forwards with Mervin Hamilton a mid-field player is also an experienced campaigner. In the previous 12 appearance Lankans have managed to become the runners-up in 1993 and to win the 1995 tournament held in Colombo which after never tingling finish in the extra time under Sampath Perera’s captaincy. Team India is the most successfully team to win on seven occasions while becoming the runners up four times.

After a lapse of nearly three months, with the completion of the World Cup qualifiers in Korea earlier this year, the Lankan contingent resumed their practices from earlier this month as a unit amidst many obstacles mainly with the pandemic situation. With the escalation of the Covid-19 variant in the country few of the national team players were tested positive initially but the Football governing body held its nerve and surged ahead to overcome the situation to field a formidable side for this tournament. Housed in a residential camp at the outset, the pool of 27 players engaged in training locally in Colombo under a Bio-Bubble environment under the watchful foreign coach Amir Alagic and his team of officials, who worked tirelessly to get the boys into the fitness zone.

They were even rewarded further with a 11-day camping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on a request made by Jaswar Umar, the incumbent President of local football body.

The Squad- Sujan Perera (Capt), Ruwan Arunasiri, Kaveesh Lakpriya, Chalana Chameera, Chamod Dilshan, Dukson Puslas, Jude Supan, Charitha Rathnayake, Harsha Fernando, Roshan Appuhamy, Asikur Rahuman, Mohamed Mushtaq, Mohamed Aman, Marvin Hamilton, Edison Figurado, Mohamed Fazal, Supun Dananjaya, Waseem Razeek, Kavindu Ishan, Dillon De Silva, Mohamed Aakib, Rifkhan Mohamed.

Team Officials- Amir Alagic (Head Coach), Asif Ansar (Team Manager), Amir Docksanaltic (Goal Keep Coach), Hassan Roomy9Technical Coach), Rajamani Devasagayam (Assistan Coach), Dr. Ruwan Chamara (Team Doctor), Eesaa Ibrahim (Medical Officer), Sanaka Jayamin(Analyist), Gihan Suranga (Physiotherapist), Jeevana Caldera (Massure), Mohamed Fahim (Kitman).

The Lankan fixturers- 1 October- SL vs. Bangladesh, 4 October vs. Nepal, 7 October vs. India, 10 October vs. Maldives.