The 2010 football conundrum totally upset the apple cart
Veteran footballer Kasun Jayasuriya, who hung up his boots a fortnight ago, still has the craving to engage in the game, despite his age. Jayasuriya, who enjoyed a glittering football career by earning the spotlight at all levels he played, be it junior, domestic, national or international, was a top contender in the recent local competitions where many of the honours were shared among youngsters.
“I am 38 years old now. But I am 100 percent fit as a football player. I proved that at the recently concluded FA Cup Tournament,” Jayasuriya stated.
Saunders failed to reach the FA Cup final for several years. But Jayasuriya spearheaded his teammates to bring the side into the finals this season.
“I scored six goals in the FA Cup Tournament. That was the highest personal score up to the finals. Army team’s Mohammed Izzadeen also scored six goals. But in the finals, even though we played well, we fell short and Army triumphed. I too missed several instances of scoring in the final. If those goals had been scored the Golden Boot Award would have been mine,” he added.
Jayasuriya came into the game’s forefront from Badulla. He played for Badulla Dharmadutha Vidyalaya before joining St. Joseph’s College Colombo, from where he emerged into the national limelight.
He has played the game at school and national level for about 15 years. He had won the Golden Boot Award on three occasions in-a-row. He has worked as a professional footballer in India for five years and three years in the Maldives Islands.
Currently he holds Coaching Certificates – A License and B License. Additionally to his football engagements, Jayasuriya is a Gym Instructor and Fitness Trainer. With a few options at hand, Jayasuriya is contemplating on his life after retirement as a player. But he too has mixed views on the manner the sport in governed, having been a full-time contributor to the game for decades.
“Sri Lanka is making plans to develop football on short term and long term plans. But it is useless unless there is professional football in the island. Today India, Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal have advanced in the game due to professionalism. The reason for Sri Lanka’s recent decline in football is dissolving the National team in 2010. Because of that decision by the football officials, several footballers lost hope. Even though football higher ups wanted to give youngsters the place, they were unable to do so,” he opined.
Jayasuriya strongly emphasises that players should not be victimised in the crossfire of administrative disputes. He strongly believes that the game should move on in a straight and upward path despite the change of governance time to time. Not adhering to a common goal, Jayasuriya stated, is the setback the game has faced through many decades and the reason why the national team is not performing up to the standards in comparison with neighbouring nations.
“Football officials, in 2010, took the decision to dismiss the national team to avoid allegations against them. Due to this, football in the island fell into the doldrums and never came up. There are several clever football players in the island, but the method to bring them forward is all wrong. They go on island wide searches to unearth talent. But these players fail after being absorbed into the National Pool. The reason for this is that they favour youngsters rather than giving place to talented players. The method in which players are selected to the National Pool is all wrong.”
Jayasuriya has a wealth of knowledge of the game and having such a player in the national stream would only do good for the youngsters with the present mode of conduct. Young players have made it to the top through the new system adopted by the football administration, but Jayasuriya thinks it's not the best option totally.
“Players should be selected after scrutinising the performances in the FA Cup and Premier League. That is the way they do it in other nations. I have the ability to play in the National team again. I proved that at the recently concluded FA Cup. If the football administrators offer me another chance, I will gladly accept it,” Jayasuriya, hinting at his desire to still play.
Jayasuriya has been unfortunate through his career, in spite of his impressive performance as a player. He was a member of the dismissed national side eight years ago and adding salt to wound, he was accused of match fixing later on his career. Yet, he has tamed the strong winds to windup his playing career with dignity. With what he had to go through as a football player, Jayasuriya is not keen to see his siblings or offspring take up the sport at professional level.
“The most unfortunate incident I faced in football was in 2010, when all players, including me, were evicted from the National team. It was after eight long years, I came into domestic football. I have spent several years dedicating my life to football. On match fixing charges, this is so common. But so far nothing has been proved. Some officials level these charges to cover up their faults. I have two brothers and both of them play football. They have not forged ahead in the game. I have a son and a daughter. I do not think that my son will ever come into football. I will not encourage him to come into the game. I will not allow the shortcomings I faced, ever to be confronted by son,” concluded Kasun Jayasuriya.