Career guidance for footballers after Channa’s debacle

In a bid to negate future incidences like the case of E. B. Channa, the President of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has proposed the establishment of career guidance programmes and workshops to help youngsters in other aspects of life as well.

The problems caused by the outbursts of the former Sri Lankan captain has sparked a lot of media attention on the federation, a majority of them negative, further reducing the respect and standard of football in the country.

According to Mr. Ranjith Rodrigo, ‘Channa may have had the skill on the ball, however, he did not have sportsmanship, respect, dignity, and loyalty, which all led to his downfall’

The federation has now decided to attempt to prevent such situations by moulding the future players from youth levels through workshops and career guidance programmes.

‘We have taken steps to create these programmes…we are trying to merge with Cargills, our sponsors to establish these programmes to uplift the standard of the game and how we can get the player to a better level’ President of the FFSL Anura De Silva stated in the press conference organised as a response to Channa’s predicament on the 31st of August.

He went on to say;

‘We are waiting for funds from FIFA and AFC as we have been able to extend our grants, which is more than Rs.500,000 per annum’

‘Through this we are on the verge of establishing five training centres for a start, one in Jaffna, Hatton, Matara, Badulla, and in Kalapitiya… we are trying to recruit full time coaches there so that the youngsters in the vicinity would be able to attend practices with ease and eventually become skilful players’

‘In addition to practices, we are also trying to teach them about life skills and give them some IT skills as well … (this would) create a much more disciplined player for the sport, thus uplifting the standard and respect towards the game in the country.’

He concluded by stating that ‘We are doing this with the view of making football the most popular sport in the country by 2022’

When asked about how the federation would mould the current national team as disciplined and respectable individuals, the President had this to say;

‘Through the residential training we want them to not only play well, but also to lead a good life and be a good citizen of the country… the sport is immaterial to become a good adult’

He went on to give an example of himself during his time as national player as well;

‘Even when I was playing in the national team I went for team practice in the morning and immediately went to work after that because I wanted to develop my career path’

Although Channa’s case has been dealt with by the federation, it still looms over it, and the federation is wise to take steps such as this to take steps to prevent cases like Channa’s in the fututre.

After all, prevention is better than cure.