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The way we lost the series is a worry, says dejected Naveed Nawaz

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After facing a thumping loss at the hands of New Zealand in the third ODI at Hamilton, Sri Lanka assistant coach Naveed Nawaz stressed that than losing the series, the way Sri Lanka lost is a worry.

“To be honest, losing the series the way we lost is a huge disappointment. We are a team full of talent, but unfortunately, players failed to play to their potential”, said a dejected Naveed Nawaz at the post-match conference.

The defeat also saw Sri Lanka fail to snatch the eighth spot in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League table. Sri Lanka failed to overtake West Indies (88 points) for the final direct qualification spot. The Islanders ended their CWCSL campaign with 81 points.

Calling it right at the toss, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka opted to bat first in the crucial encounter. But the Sri Lankan batters failed to fire yet again, struggling against the pace and bounce of the New Zealand bowlers.

Matt Henry (3/14), Henry Shipley (3/32) and Daryl Mitchell (3/32) were all outstanding with the ball, as Sri Lanka huffed and puffed to cross the 150-run mark.

For Sri Lanka, Pathum Nissanka (57 off 64), Dasun Shanaka (31 off 36) and Chamika Karunaratne (24 off 42) were the only batters to show any form of resistance. The visitors were bowled out for 157 in 41.3 overs, with their bowlers now facing a herculean task of getting their side over the line.

In reply, New Zealand’s chase got off to a rocky start as they lost three wickets within the first seven overs. Four of their batters – Chad Bowes, Tom Blundell, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham – failed to reach the double-digit mark.

But Will Young and Henry Nicholls played vital knocks to get the hosts over the line. The pair established a partnership of 100 runs with Young scoring 86* and Nicholls 44* to seal a six-wicket win for New Zealand.

With the victory in Hamilton, New Zealand secured a 2-0 win in the three-match ODI series.

Sri Lanka will now travel to Zimbabwe in June to compete in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier and look to secure their place in the 2023 edition of the tournament later this year.

“We will have to play the qualifiers now. I think we should regroup and put up a good performance in Zimbabwe to book a slot in the World cup 2023. Only Two teams will qualify for the World Cup. We should play a good brand of cricket because we cannot underestimate any team. In the modern cricketing world, every team plays competitive cricket so it will be a huge challenge for us”, Nawaz added.

Asked about what should be improved when heading to Zimbabwe for the qualifiers Nawaz went on to say,

“We should raise our bars in all three departments; especially in 50 over cricket, our batters should learn how to build an innings. Zimbabwe conditions are not familiar to us so the players should know what should be and not be done in those conditions”.

New Zealand ended in the top spot of the CWCSL standings, accumulating 175 points in their campaign.

West Indies could still be pipped in the race for the eighth spot by South Africa (78 points) and Ireland (68 points). South Africa will play a two-match ODI series against the Netherlands starting today, while Ireland has a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in May.

අපි කතා මාලාව පැරදුණු ආකාරය කණගාටුදායකයි, කලකිරුණු නවීඩ් නවාස් පවසයි

හැමිල්ටන්හිදී පැවැති තුන්වැනි එක්දින තරගයේදී නවසීලන්තය හමුවේ අන්ත පරාජයකට මුහුණ දීමෙන් අනතුරුව ශ්‍රී ලංකා සහය පුහුණුකරු නවීඩ් නවාස් අවධාරණය කළේ තරගාවලිය පරාජයට වඩා ශ්‍රී ලංකාව පරාජය වූ ආකාරය කණගාටුවට කරුණක් බවයි.

“ඇත්තම කියනවා නම්, අපි පැරදුණු ආකාරයටම තරඟාවලිය අහිමි වීම විශාල බලාපොරොත්තු සුන්වීමක්. අපි දක්ෂතාවයෙන් පිරි කණ්ඩායමක්, නමුත් අවාසනාවකට, ක්‍රීඩකයින් ඔවුන්ගේ හැකියාවන්ට අනුව ක්‍රීඩා කිරීමට අපොහොසත් විය.

මෙම පරාජයත් සමග ICC පිරිමි ක්‍රිකට් ලෝක කුසලාන සුපර් ලීග් ලකුණු සටහනේ 8 වැනි ස්ථානය උදුරා ගැනීමට ශ්‍රී ලංකාව අසමත් විය. ශ්‍රී ලංකාව බටහිර ඉන්දීය කොදෙව් (ලකුණු 88) අභිබවා අවසන් සෘජු සුදුසුකම් ලබාගැනීමට අපොහොසත් විය. Ilanders ඔවුන්ගේ CWCSL ව්‍යාපාරය ලකුණු 81කින් අවසන් කළේය.

කාසියේ වාසිය දිනාගත් ශ්‍රී ලංකා නායක දසුන් ශානක තීරණාත්මක තරගයේ පළමුවෙන් පන්දුවට පහරදීමට තීරණය කළේය. එහෙත් නවසීලන්ත පන්දු යවන්නන්ගේ වේගයට සහ පිතිකරණයට එරෙහිව දැඩි සටනක නිරත වෙමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිතිකරුවන් යළිත් වෙඩි තැබීමට අපොහොසත් විය.

මැට් හෙන්රි (3/14), හෙන්රි ෂිප්ලි (3/32) සහ ඩැරිල් මිචෙල් (3/32) පන්දුවෙන් විශිෂ්ට දස්කම් දැක්වූ අතර, ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිල ලකුණු 150 සීමාව පසුකර යාමට දැඩි උත්සාහයක් ගත්තේය.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව වෙනුවෙන් පැතුම් නිශ්ශංක (පන්දු 64 කින් 57), දසුන් ශානක (පන්දු 36 කින් 31) සහ චාමික කරුණාරත්න (ලකුණු 42 කින් 24) ඕනෑම ආකාරයක ප්‍රතිරෝධයක් පෙන්නුම් කළ එකම පිතිකරුවෝ වූහ. නරඹන්නන් ඕවර 41.3කදී ලකුණු 157කට දැවී ගිය අතර, ඔවුන්ගේ පන්දු යවන්නන්ට දැන් තම කණ්ඩායම සීමාව ඉක්මවා යාමේ දුෂ්කර කාර්යයකට මුහුණ දීමට සිදු විය.

පිළිතුරු ඉනිම ක්‍රීඩා කළ නවසීලන්ත පිලේ පළමු ඕවර හත තුළ කඩුලු 3ක් දැවී ලකුණු හඹා යාමේ ආරම්භය සාර්ථක විය. ඔවුන්ගේ පිතිකරුවන් හතර දෙනා – Chad Bowes, Tom Blundell, Daryl Mitchell සහ Tom Latham – ඉලක්කම් දෙකේ ලකුණට ළඟා වීමට අසමත් විය.

නමුත් විල් යන්ග් සහ හෙන්රි නිකොල්ස් සත්කාරකයින් සීමාව ඉක්මවා යාම සඳහා වැදගත් පහරවල් ක්‍රීඩා කළහ. යංග් ලකුණු 86ක් සහ නිකොල්ස් ලකුණු 44ක් සමගින් ලකුණු 100ක සබඳතාවක් ගොඩනැගූ අතර නවසීලන්තයට කඩුලු 6ක ජයක් අත්කර දුන්නේය.

හැමිල්ටන්හිදී පැවැති ජයග්‍රහණයත් සමඟ තරග තුනකින් සමන්විත එක්දින තරගාවලිය 2-0ක් ලෙස ජයගැනීමට නවසීලන්තය සමත්විය.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව දැන් ජූනි මාසයේදී සිම්බාබ්වේ වෙත ගොස් ICC පිරිමි ක්‍රිකට් ලෝක කුසලාන සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරඟයට සහභාගී වන අතර මෙම වසර අගදී තරඟාවලියේ 2023 සංස්කරණයේදී ඔවුන්ගේ ස්ථානය තහවුරු කර ගැනීමට අපේක්ෂා කරයි.

“අපට දැන් සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරඟ ක්‍රීඩා කිරීමට සිදුවනු ඇත. මම හිතන්නේ අපි 2023 ලෝක කුසලානයේ ස්ථානයක් වෙන්කරවා ගැනීම සඳහා සිම්බාබ්වේ හි හොඳ දස්කම් දැක්වීමක් නැවත එකතු කර ගත යුතුයි. ලෝක කුසලානයට සුදුසුකම් ලබන්නේ කණ්ඩායම් දෙකක් පමණි. කිසිම කණ්ඩායමක් අවතක්සේරු කළ නොහැකි නිසා අපි හොඳ ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාවක් කළ යුතුයි. නූතන ක්‍රිකට් ලෝකයේ සෑම කණ්ඩායමක්ම තරඟකාරී ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩා කරන නිසා එය අපට විශාල අභියෝගයක් වේවි”, නවාස් වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය.

සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරඟ සඳහා සිම්බාබ්වේ බලා යන විට වැඩිදියුණු කළ යුතු දේ ගැන නවාස්ගෙන් විමසූ විට නවාස් මෙසේ පැවසීය.

“අපි දෙපාර්තමේන්තු තුනේම අපේ බාර් ඉහළ දැමිය යුතුයි; විශේෂයෙන්ම පන්දුවාර 50 ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාවේදී අපේ පිතිකරුවන් ඉනිමක් ගොඩනගන්න ඉගෙන ගත යුතුයි. සිම්බාබ්වේ තත්ත්වය අපට හුරු නැති නිසා ක්‍රීඩකයන් දැනගත යුත්තේ එම තත්ත්වයන් තුළ කළ යුතු දේ සහ නොකළ යුතු දේයි.”

නවසීලන්තය CWCSL ශ්‍රේණිගත කිරීම්වල ප්‍රථම ස්ථානයට පත් වූයේ ඔවුන්ගේ ප්‍රචාරණයේදී ලකුණු 175 ක් රැස් කරමිනි.

දකුණු අප්‍රිකාව (ලකුණු 78) සහ අයර්ලන්තය (ලකුණු 68) විසින් අටවැනි ස්ථානය සඳහා වන තරඟයේදී බටහිර ඉන්දීය කොදෙව්වන් තවමත් ඉදිරියෙන් සිටිය හැකිය. දකුණු අප්‍රිකාව නෙදර්ලන්තයට එරෙහිව තරඟ දෙකකින් යුත් එක්දින තරඟාවලියක් අද ආරම්භ වන අතර, අයර්ලන්තයට බංග්ලාදේශයට එරෙහිව තරඟ තුනකින් යුත් එක්දින තරඟාවලියක් මැයි මාසයේ දී පැවැත්වේ.

நாங்கள் தொடரை இழந்த விதம் கவலையளிக்கிறது என்கிறார் நவீத் நவாஸ்

ஹாமில்டனில் நடந்த மூன்றாவது ஒருநாள் போட்டியில் நியூசிலாந்தின் கைகளில் அபாரமான தோல்வியை சந்தித்த பிறகு, இலங்கை துணை பயிற்சியாளர் நவீத் நவாஸ், தொடரை இழந்ததை விட, இலங்கை இழந்த விதம் கவலை அளிக்கிறது.

“உண்மையைச் சொல்வதானால், நாங்கள் இழந்ததைப் போலவே தொடரை இழந்தது பெரும் ஏமாற்றம். நாங்கள் திறமைகள் நிறைந்த அணி, ஆனால் துரதிர்ஷ்டவசமாக, வீரர்கள் தங்கள் திறமைக்கு ஏற்றவாறு விளையாடத் தவறிவிட்டனர்” என்று போட்டிக்குப் பிந்தைய மாநாட்டில் நவீத் நவாஸ் வருத்தமடைந்தார்.

இந்த தோல்வியால் ஐசிசி ஆடவர் உலகக் கோப்பை சூப்பர் லீக் அட்டவணையில் எட்டாவது இடத்தைப் பிடிக்க இலங்கை தவறிவிட்டது. இறுதி நேரடி தகுதி இடத்திற்கு மேற்கிந்திய தீவுகளை (88 புள்ளிகள்) பின்னுக்குத் தள்ள இலங்கை தவறிவிட்டது. தீவுவாசிகள் தங்கள் CWCSL பிரச்சாரத்தை 81 புள்ளிகளுடன் முடித்தனர்.

இந்த முக்கியமான சந்திப்பில் முதலில் டாஸ் வென்ற இலங்கை கேப்டன் தசுன் ஷனகா முதலில் பேட்டிங் தேர்வு செய்தார். ஆனால் நியூசிலாந்து பந்துவீச்சாளர்களின் வேகம் மற்றும் பந்துவீச்சுக்கு எதிராக போராடிய இலங்கை வீரர்கள் மீண்டும் சுடத் தவறினர்.

மாட் ஹென்றி (3/14), ஹென்றி ஷிப்லி (3/32), டேரில் மிட்செல் (3/32) ஆகியோர் சிறப்பாக பந்து வீச, இலங்கை அணி 150 ரன்களைக் கடந்தது.

இலங்கை அணியில் பதும் நிஸ்ஸங்க (64 பந்துகளில் 57), தசுன் ஷனக (36 பந்துகளில் 31), சமிக கருணாரத்ன (42 பந்துகளில் 24) ஆகியோர் மட்டுமே எந்த விதமான எதிர்ப்பையும் வெளிப்படுத்தினர். பார்வையாளர்கள் 41.3 ஓவர்களில் 157 ரன்களுக்கு ஆட்டமிழந்தனர், அவர்களின் பந்துவீச்சாளர்கள் இப்போது தங்கள் பக்கத்தை எல்லைக்கு மேல் கொண்டு வருவதற்கான கடினமான பணியை எதிர்கொண்டனர்.

பதிலுக்கு துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய நியூசிலாந்தின் துரத்தல் ஆரம்பமானது முதல் ஏழு ஓவர்களுக்குள் மூன்று விக்கெட்டுகளை இழந்திருந்தது. அவர்களின் நான்கு பேட்டர்கள் – சாட் போவ்ஸ், டாம் ப்ளூன்டெல், டேரில் மிட்செல் மற்றும் டாம் லாதம் – இரட்டை இலக்கத்தை எட்ட முடியவில்லை.

ஆனால் வில் யங் மற்றும் ஹென்றி நிக்கோல்ஸ் ஆகியோர் புரவலர்களை வரிசைக்கு மேல் பெறுவதற்கு முக்கியமான நாக்ஸை விளையாடினர். இந்த ஜோடி யங் 86* மற்றும் நிக்கோல்ஸ் 44* ரன்களுடன் 100 ரன்களின் பார்ட்னர்ஷிப்பை நிறுவி நியூசிலாந்திற்கு ஆறு விக்கெட் வித்தியாசத்தில் வெற்றியைத் தேடித்தந்தது.

ஹாமில்டனில் நடந்த வெற்றியின் மூலம் மூன்று போட்டிகள் கொண்ட ஒருநாள் தொடரை 2-0 என்ற கணக்கில் நியூசிலாந்து கைப்பற்றியது.

ஐசிசி ஆடவர் உலகக் கோப்பை தகுதிச் சுற்றில் போட்டியிடுவதற்காக இலங்கை இப்போது ஜூன் மாதம் ஜிம்பாப்வேக்குச் சென்று, இந்த ஆண்டின் இறுதியில் 2023 ஆம் ஆண்டு போட்டித் தொடரில் தங்கள் இடத்தைப் பாதுகாக்கும்.

“நாங்கள் இப்போது தகுதிச் சுற்றில் விளையாட வேண்டும். 2023 உலகக் கோப்பையில் ஒரு இடத்தைப் பதிவு செய்ய ஜிம்பாப்வேயில் நாங்கள் மீண்டும் ஒருங்கிணைத்து ஒரு நல்ல ஆட்டத்தை வெளிப்படுத்த வேண்டும் என்று நினைக்கிறேன். இரண்டு அணிகள் மட்டுமே உலகக் கோப்பைக்கு தகுதி பெறும். எந்த அணியையும் குறைத்து மதிப்பிட முடியாது என்பதால், நாங்கள் ஒரு நல்ல பிராண்ட் கிரிக்கெட்டை விளையாட வேண்டும். நவீன கிரிக்கெட் உலகில், ஒவ்வொரு அணியும் போட்டி கிரிக்கெட்டை விளையாடுவதால், அது எங்களுக்கு மிகப்பெரிய சவாலாக இருக்கும்” என்று நவாஸ் மேலும் கூறினார்.

ஜிம்பாப்வேக்கு தகுதிச் சுற்றுக்கு செல்லும்போது என்ன மேம்படுத்த வேண்டும் என்று கேட்டதற்கு நவாஸ் கூறியதாவது:

“மூன்று துறைகளிலும் நாம் நமது தடைகளை உயர்த்த வேண்டும்; குறிப்பாக 50 ஓவர் கிரிக்கெட்டில், எப்படி ஒரு இன்னிங்ஸை உருவாக்குவது என்பதை நமது பேட்டர்கள் கற்றுக் கொள்ள வேண்டும். ஜிம்பாப்வே நிலைமைகள் எங்களுக்குப் பரிச்சயமானவை அல்ல, எனவே அந்த நிலைமைகளில் என்ன செய்ய வேண்டும் மற்றும் செய்யக்கூடாது என்பதை வீரர்கள் அறிந்திருக்க வேண்டும்.

நியூசிலாந்து தனது பிரச்சாரத்தில் 175 புள்ளிகளைக் குவித்து, CWCSL தரவரிசையில் முதலிடத்தில் முடிந்தது.

தென்னாப்பிரிக்கா (78 புள்ளிகள்) மற்றும் அயர்லாந்து (68 புள்ளிகள்) ஆகியவற்றால் எட்டாவது இடத்திற்கான போட்டியில் மேற்கிந்தியத் தீவுகள் இன்னும் பின்னுக்குத் தள்ளப்படலாம். தென்னாப்பிரிக்கா இன்று தொடங்கும் நெதர்லாந்துக்கு எதிராக இரண்டு போட்டிகள் கொண்ட ஒருநாள் தொடரில் விளையாடவுள்ளது, அதே நேரத்தில் அயர்லாந்து வங்காளதேசத்திற்கு எதிராக மே மாதத்தில் மூன்று போட்டிகள் கொண்ட ஒருநாள் தொடரை விளையாட உள்ளது.

Football

Sri Lanka U20 Women’s Football Hits Rock Bottom at SAFF Championship Amid Continued National-Level Crisis

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The Sri Lanka U20 Women’s Team endured a disappointing campaign at the SAFF U20 Women’s Championship 2025, suffering two heavy defeats with one group match left to play. In their opening encounter, Sri Lanka was thrashed 9 -1 by Bangladesh, followed by a 5-0 loss against Bhutan, indicating a deeper crisis in the country’s women’s football structure.

These back-to-back losses highlight the grim state of the women’s football program, especially when placed alongside the senior team’s exit from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers earlier this year without a single win. This trend reflects not just a lack of preparation, but an institutional failure to establish a developmental pipeline or strategic plan.

What’s even more concerning is the absence of visible recovery mechanisms from the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL). Instead of addressing systemic issues—such as lack of coaching standards, insufficient grassroots investment, and poor player welfare—key decision-makers appear more focused on the upcoming FFSL elections. Behind-the-scenes politics continue to stall any meaningful progress in women’s football development.

Despite the promising young talent in Sri Lanka, the gap in fitness, tactical training, and match readiness compared to regional rivals is growing wider. Without immediate technical reforms and leadership that prioritizes performance over politics, the future of women’s football in the country remains uncertain.

With one more match against a strong Nepal side, the prospects of a comeback look bleak, unless there is a radical shift in how the game is managed from the ground up.

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News

South Asian Karate Championship 2025: India and Sri Lanka Shine as Karate Celebrates 50 Years in Sri Lanka

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Colombo, July 5–6, 2025 – The 9th South Asian Karate Championship and the 1st South Asian Youth Karate Championship successfully concluded at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, marking a landmark moment in Sri Lanka’s martial arts history as the nation celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Karate Federation.

This prestigious two-day event was jointly organized by the South Asian Karate Federation and the Sri Lanka Karate Federation, which is registered under the Ministry of Sports as one of the seven official sports federations in the country.

Day 1 (July 5) – Youth Championship Dominated by India and Sri Lanka

The opening day featured intense youth-level competition with over 700 athletes from seven South Asian nationsSri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives – competing in age categories below 14.

🥇 Youth Medal Standings (U-14 Category):

  • India – 22 Medals (1st Place)
  • Nepal – 20 Medals (2nd Place)
  • Sri Lanka – 10 Medals (3rd Place)

📺 Watch Day 1 Highlights:

Final Day (July 6) – Sri Lanka Takes Youth Title, India Clinches Senior Crown

The second day of the tournament featured both senior and youth finals. In a historic achievement, Sri Lanka emerged champions in the Youth Division, while India secured the Senior Team Championship, continuing their regional dominance.

Final Team Standings:

  • Senior Category:
    • 🥇 India (Champions)
    • 🥈 Nepal (Runners-up)
    • 🥉 Sri Lanka (Third Place)
  • Youth Category:
    • 🥇 Sri Lanka (Champions)
    • 🥈 India (Runners-up)
    • 🥉 Nepal (Third Place)

Watch Final Day Highlights:

Special Guests & Recognition

The event was graced by His Excellency Akio Isomata, the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, who attended as the Chief Guest, acknowledging Sri Lanka’s long-standing contribution to the growth of karate in South Asia.

Also present was Bharat Sharma, President of the South Asian Karate Federation, who praised the standard of competition and Sri Lanka’s organizing excellence.

Karate in Sri Lanka – 50 Years of Legacy

This championship coincided with the 50th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Karate Federation, which has played a vital role in shaping karate talent nationally and internationally. With continued support from the Ministry of Sports, karate remains one of Sri Lanka’s fastest-growing combat sports.

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Football

Sri Lanka Women Finish Qualifiers with 0 Goals, 20 Conceded – Who Will Take Responsibility?

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Colombo, July 3 – Sri Lanka Women’s National Football Team wrapped up their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers campaign with a third straight defeat — a 2-0 loss to Laos — confirming their position at the bottom of Group F, with 0 wins, 0 goals scored, and 18 conceded in just three games.

But beyond the scorelines lies a far more serious issue: a complete collapse of women’s football development in Sri Lanka. And this time, the blame does not lie on one individual — but on a system that has failed the sport, from top to bottom.

Match-by-Match Recap

Match 1: Sri Lanka 0 – 10 Uzbekistan

  • Possession: 30%
  • Shots on Target: 0
  • xG: 0.0 vs Uzbekistan’s 3.60
  • A game that exposed a lack of preparation, structure, and fitness from the very start.

Match 2: Sri Lanka 0 – 8 Nepal

  • Possession: 50%
  • Defensive errors gifted goals, including a hat-trick by Sabitra Bhandari.
  • xG: Nepal 3.76 vs Sri Lanka 0.60
  • Tactical breakdown: Midfield collapsed under pressure, backline failed to close space.

Match 3: Sri Lanka 0 – 2 Laos

  • Possession: 50%
  • Shots on Target: 5
  • xG: 2.56 (Laos) vs 1.08 (Sri Lanka)
  • A more balanced performance, but defensive lapses in the 73rd and 90+2 minutes led to defeat. Sri Lanka couldn’t convert chances despite their best game statistically.

Final Group Standings – Group F

TeamMPGFGAGDPoints
🇳🇵 Nepal2170+176
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan2170+176
🇱🇦 Laos2216-140
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka3020-200

Tactical Issues Across All Matches

  • No clear formation or transition play.
  • Lack of defensive coordination — players failed to track runners, especially on the flanks.
  • No attacking identity — only 1.08 xG across three games.
  • In-game management absent — few substitutions or tactical shifts despite being outplayed.

While public criticism often targets the President of the Football Federation, this decline in women’s football runs deeper:

Who Is Accountable? Not Just the President

Women’s Football Committee:

  • Failed to organize any domestic tournament in recent years.
  • Selected the squad via open trials, with no league performance data to back selections.
  • No consistent training camps or fitness programs.

Executive Committee:

  • Remains silent on the recurring failures.
  • No inquiries, reviews, or structural reforms have followed Sri Lanka’s repeated humiliations — including the U20 Women’s SAFF defeat earlier this year.

Technical & Development Staff:

  • No tactical framework or youth development.
  • No modern coaching methods or international exposure for players.

The Bigger Problem: Silence and Stagnation

Sri Lanka is not just losing matches — it’s losing direction. The current state of women’s football is not the result of one bad campaign. It’s the product of years of neglect, political appointments, and a failure to treat women’s football with equal priority.

Even now, there is no explanation from the Executive Committee on how the women’s team was prepared or what plans exist for recovery.

Time for a Reset, Not Excuses

If Sri Lanka is serious about competing in international football, the following must be addressed:

  • ✅ A national women’s league
  • ✅ Provincial and school-level competitions
  • ✅ Professional coaching staff and structured fitness programs
  • ✅ Regular international friendlies and camps
  • ✅ Transparent selection processes based on performance, not politics

🔚 Conclusion

Sri Lanka’s 2026 AFC campaign should not just be remembered for the scorelines — but as a call for change. It is time for every stakeholder — from the Women’s Committee to the Executive — to reflect, respond, and rebuild.

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