In a shocking turn of event, the newly elected Prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa led Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) government Monday put Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) under the Ministry of Sports in a gazette notification , Cricket Age exclusively learns. The government’s unexpected move has pushed SLC in danger of losing full membership status from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The SLPP, led by Mahinda, registered a landslide victory in the general election, securing two-thirds majority in Parliament needed to amend the Constitution to further consolidate the family’s firm grip on power for the next five years. The party won in 145 constituencies, bagging a total of 150 seats with its allies, a two-thirds majority in the 225-member Parliament.
In an extraordinary gazette notification by the newly elected government the following Sport bodies have been gazetted to come under the purview of the Youth Affairs and Sports Minister: Department of Sports development, Sri Lanka Cricket, National youth services Council, National youth Corps, Sri Lanka national youth services co-operative Society Ltd., National centre for leadership development, department for manpower and emolument.
To be a member of ICC, it is mandatory for the local cricket authority boards to remain as an independent institution. SLC is currently only one of the 68 sports collectives registered with the Ministry of Sports and is directly affiliated with the ICC. In the event of such an acquisition, the Ministry of Sports will have full control over it.
“The government has gazetted cricket board under the Sports Ministry institution. Till now, it was governed by the some of the laws of the Sports Ministry and accordingly, the board was an independent organisation, owned by the stakeholders” a top SLC administrator told Cricket Age.
The SLC top brass fears that the ICC will not be allowing the government interference. In this scenario, ICC funding could be withdrawn and the country will be barred from participating at ICC events.
“Therefore, if the SLC is taken under by the ministry of Sports, it could trigger issues with regard to the ICC membership as the independence of the local cricket board is among the forefront of the ICC’s legal requirements. In July 2019, the same thing happened with Zimbabwe, as the ICC suspended the African country for failing to ensure there is no government interference in its running of the sport” the top SLC administrator added.
Cricket’s global body during their meeting in London In July 2019, had issued a statement on Zimbabwe’s immediate suspension after it was unanimously decided that the board had failed to fulfil their obligation to provide a process for a transparent elections and to ensure that there is no meddling from the government involved in its administration for cricket.
“Zimbabwe Cricket has been suspended with immediate effect. The ICC Board unanimously decided that Zimbabwe Cricket, an ICC Full Member, is in breach of Article 2.4 (c) and (d) of the ICC Constitution which imposes an obligation on Members to provide a process for free and democratic elections and to ensure that there is no government interference in its governance and / or administration for cricket respectively,” the ICC had said in a statement.
“We do not take the decision to suspend a Member lightly, but we must keep our sport free from political interference,” ICC chairman Shashank Manohar had said back then. “What has happened in Zimbabwe is a serious breach of the ICC Constitution and we cannot allow it to continue unchecked. The ICC wants cricket to continue in it’s member countries in accordance with the ICC Constitution” he had added.
Interestingly, Sri Lanka were on the verge of suspension in 2015 as well, due to the government interference.
