-By LeN Sports Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News - 12.Oct.2025, 7.25 AM) FIFA’s decision to appoint Sri Lanka’s football boss, Jaswer Umar, to lead a new initiative aimed at uplifting grassroots and amateur football has sparked outrage among sporting officials and anti-corruption campaigners, who describe the move as “a scandalous endorsement of alleged financial misconduct.”
Former Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) Secretary Sunil Senaweera has formally lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), accusing Puma of serious financial mismanagement and misuse of federation funds. Senaweera alleges that under Puma’s administration, millions of rupees have disappeared from FFSL accounts without proper documentation or explanation.
“This is like giving the keys to your safe to the very man accused of robbing it,” said a former FFSL executive, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The allegations, now under preliminary review by the Sports Ministry, have prompted renewed scrutiny of Umar’s stewardship of the sport. The Ministry, headed by Sports Minister Sunil Kumar Gamage, has been urged to conduct a full financial audit of FFSL’s operations under Umar’s leadership and to request FIFA to suspend his new appointment pending the outcome of domestic investigations.
Documents seen by The Lanka e News refer to an earlier internal inquiry — the Kusala Sarojini Report, submitted nearly two years ago — which highlighted “serious procedural lapses” and “unexplained expenditure” in FFSL’s financial records. The report, sources say, found discrepancies in procurement processes and questioned the allocation of international development funds.
Despite these findings, Umar not only retained his position but has now been elevated by FIFA to a global role focusing on grassroots development — a move that critics say undermines FIFA’s much-publicised anti-corruption commitments.
“We are asking how FIFA, after all the talk about transparency and integrity, could hand a development portfolio to someone facing corruption allegations at home,” said a senior official in the Sports Ministry.
Under Umar’s tenure, Sri Lankan football has steadily declined, both administratively and competitively. The nation’s FA Cup — the country’s premier football competition — has not been held since 2019, a fact that many within the football community blame on “institutional paralysis” within the federation.
“FIFA keeps talking about grassroots development, but what grassroots?” asked a Colombo-based club coach. “We have no national competition, no youth tournaments, and no transparency in how development funds are spent.”
Senaweera’s complaint has also urged authorities to examine Umar ’s personal finances, including bank statements, property acquisitions, and income sources, to determine whether public or donor funds were misappropriated.
Analysts note that under FIFA’s global statutes, any official under credible corruption investigation is expected to step aside temporarily until inquiries conclude. “That rule should apply here,” said a sports governance expert at the University of Colombo. “Otherwise, FIFA risks sending a dangerous signal to federations across Asia — that integrity can be compromised for convenience.”
FIFA’s Colombo office declined to comment, while Jaswar did not respond to repeated requests for a statement. A senior FFSL spokesperson, however, dismissed the allegations as “personally motivated,” insisting that “all financial transactions were conducted according to federation policy.”
But those familiar with Sri Lanka’s football administration paint a darker picture. “Funds earmarked for provincial academies were never fully released,” said one former treasurer. “Some club grants simply vanished. There’s a serious question about where the money went.”
As Sri Lanka’s football continues to languish at the bottom of Asian rankings, many insiders believe that genuine reform will only come through international accountability.
“Until the corruption is rooted out, we can’t rebuild,” said a veteran player. “We need FIFA to act — not reward the very people responsible for our decline.”
The ball, it seems, is now squarely in FIFA’s court.
-By LeN Sports Correspondent
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by (2025-10-12 01:50:13)
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