News
Ahmad Bin Ali and Khalifa International to host FIFA Club World Cup ™ matches

Education City, Ahmad Bin Ali and Khalifa International stadiums will host the FIFA Club World Cup 2020™ matches taking place in Qatar from 1 to 11 February 2021.
The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium will stage the opening match between Qatari champions Al Duhail and Auckland City of New Zealand on 1 February at 20:30 local time (18:30 CET), and the final will be played at Education City Stadium on 11 February at 21:00 local time.
The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium was inaugurated on 18 December – Qatar National Day – exactly two years before the country hosts the FIFA World Cup™ final, Education City Stadium was unveiled in June 2020, and Khalifa International reopened its doors in 2017. All three venues will host fixtures at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
In addition to Auckland City, who will be flying the flag for Oceania, Al Ahly have qualified on behalf of CAF, UEFA will be represented by Bayern Munich, Ulsan Hyundai will represent the AFC, and the most recent team to join the line-up are Tigres UANL, who were crowned Concacaf champions. Meanwhile, the Libertadores final in late January will decide CONMEBOL’s representative at the FIFA Club World Cup 2020.
The draw to finalise the detailed pairings will take place in Zurich on 19 January at 16:00 CET.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, FIFA and the host country will provide the required safeguards to protect the health and safety of all involved in the competition.
FIFA Club FIFA Club World Cup ™ තරඟ සඳහා සත්කාරකත්වය සැපයීම සඳහා අහමඩ් බින් අලි සහ කලීෆා ජාත්යන්තර ක්රීඩාංගණ
අධ්යාපන නගරය, අහමඩ් බින් අලි සහ කලීෆා ජාත්යන්තර ක්රීඩාංගණ 2020 FIFA Club World Cup 2020 ™ තරඟ 2021 පෙබරවාරි 1 සිට 11 දක්වා කටාර්හි පැවැත්වේ.
කටාර් ශූරයන් වන අල් ඩුහයිල් සහ නවසීලන්තයේ ඕක්ලන්ඩ් නගරය අතර ආරම්භක තරගය පෙබරවාරි 1 වන දින දේශීය වේලාවෙන් 20: 30 ට (CET 18:30) අහමඩ් බින් අලි ක්රීඩාංගණය විසින් පැවැත්වීමට නියමිත අතර අවසන් තරගය පෙබරවාරි 11 වනදා අධ්යාපන නගර ක්රීඩාංගණයේදී පැවැත්වේ. දේශීය වේලාවෙන් 21:00 ට.
කටාර් ජාතික දිනය වන දෙසැම්බර් 18 වන දින අහමඩ් බින් අලි ක්රීඩාංගණය ආරම්භ කරන ලදී – ෆිෆා ලෝක කුසලාන අවසන් මහා තරඟයට සත්කාරකත්වය සැපයීමට හරියටම වසර දෙකකට පෙර, සහ අධ්යාපන නගර ක්රීඩාංගණය 2020 ජුනි මාසයේදී එළිදක්වන ලද අතර කලීෆා ජාත්යන්තර ක්රීඩාංගනය 2017 දී නැවත විවෘත කරන ලදී. මෙම ක්රීඩාංගණ තුන FIFA ලෝක කුසලාන 2020 සඳහා සත්කාරකත්වය දරනු ඇත.
FIFA Club FIFA Club World Cup ™ போட்டிகளை நடத்த அஹ்மத் பின் அலி மற்றும் கலீஃபா சர்வதேச மைதானம்
கல்வி நகரம், அஹ்மத் பின் அலி மற்றும் கலீஃபா சர்வதேச அரங்கங்கள் 2021 பிப்ரவரி 1 முதல் 11 வரை கட்டாரில் நடைபெறும் ஃபிஃபா கிளப் உலகக் கோப்பை 2020 ™ போட்டிகளை நடத்துகின்றன.
அஹ்மத் பின் அலி ஸ்டேடியம் கட்டாரி சாம்பியன்களான அல் துஹைல் மற்றும் நியூசிலாந்தின் ஆக்லாந்து நகரம் இடையே பிப்ரவரி 1 ஆம் தேதி உள்ளூர் நேரப்படி 20:30 மணிக்கு (18:30 சி.இ.டி) தொடக்க ஆட்டத்தை நடத்துகிறது, மேலும் இறுதிப் போட்டி பிப்ரவரி 11 அன்று கல்வி நகர மைதானத்தில் நடைபெறும். உள்ளூர் நேரம் 21:00 மணிக்கு.
ஃபிஃபா உலகக் கோப்பை இறுதிப் போட்டியை நடத்துவதற்கு சரியாக இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு – கத்தார் தேசிய தினமான டிசம்பர் 18 அன்று அஹ்மத் பின் அலி ஸ்டேடியம் திறக்கப்பட்டது. மற்றும் கல்வி நகர மைதானம் ஜூன் 2020 இல் திறக்கப்பட்டது, மற்றும் கலீஃபா இன்டர்நேஷனல் அதன் கதவுகளை 2017 இல் மீண்டும் திறந்தது.
இந்த மூன்று இடங்களும் ஃபிஃபா உலகக் கோப்பை கத்தார் 2022 போட்டிகளை நடத்துகின்றன.
Cricket
Inaugural ‘Battle of Green’ Set to Ignite a New School Cricket Rivalry
Cricket enthusiasts in Mirigama and Giriulla are in for an exciting showdown as D.S. Senanayake College, Mirigama, and Wickramshila National School, Giriulla, prepare to launch their first-ever “Battle of Green” big match.
This historic encounter will take place at the Mirigama Public Grounds, marking the beginning of a thrilling annual rivalry between the two schools. Fans from both towns are expected to gather in large numbers, adding to the electric atmosphere of this inaugural clash.
The introduction of the Battle of Green is a significant milestone for school cricket in the region, providing a platform for young cricketers to showcase their talent while fostering sportsmanship and competitive spirit.
Stay tuned for match updates, player insights, and exclusive coverage on Sri Lankan Sports TV.
Football
Sri Lankan Football in Crisis: Corruption, Mismanagement, and a Forgotten Future
Sri Lankan football is facing an unprecedented crisis, with corruption, financial mismanagement, and neglect threatening to erase any hope for the sport’s future. Despite repeated warnings, investigations, and calls for reform, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) under its current leadership has continued to operate with impunity, ignoring the development of local players while prioritizing foreign-born recruits.
Audit Findings Ignored – Where is the Accountability?
The Ministry of Sports’ audit report uncovered multiple financial discrepancies within FFSL, yet no action has been taken to rectify them. The Finance Committee raised critical concerns, including:
- Unpaid Media Rights Payment of USD 10,000
- A missing payment for SAFF Sri Lanka match media rights, with public service media confirming they never received the funds.
- The Finance Committee instructed immediate resolution, yet no updates have been provided.
- Unresolved Zolo Football Purchase
- FFSL paid LKR 12,775,000 for Zolo footballs from Ceylon Professional Sports Management (CPSM) without a financial guarantee, violating tender procedures.
- The Finance Committee recommended either securing the footballs or recovering the funds, with escalation to the CID if unresolved. No progress has been reported.
- Unpaid Sponsorship Payment of USD 30,000
- Sponsorship funds from Public Service Media (PSM) for the Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy remain unaccounted for.
- Despite instructions to resolve the matter, FFSL has failed to provide any updates.
FFSL’s Downward Spiral – A Lost Generation of Footballers
While Sri Lanka’s football governance remains plagued by corruption, the country’s domestic football structure has completely collapsed. There have been no domestic tournaments since 2022, depriving young players of a pathway to professional football. Despite over 42,000 active school-level players across 600 schools, FFSL has failed to support grassroots development, instead using school tournaments for branding while parents bear the costs.
Rather than investing in homegrown talent, the FFSL has prioritized recruiting foreign-based players to represent Sri Lanka’s national team. The current squad is unrecognizable, with only captain Sujan Perera representing local talent. Critics argue that these foreign recruits, most of whom play in third or fourth-tier leagues abroad, are using Sri Lankan representation to boost their own careers while the nation’s domestic football stagnates.
Sri Lanka’s Footballing Reputation in Tatters
The state of Sri Lankan football reached an embarrassing low during the AFC Cup qualifiers when head coach Abdullah Almutairi received a red card—a rare and humiliating moment in international football. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s FIFA ranking has plummeted from 124th to 200th out of 207, driven by alleged embezzlement of FIFA and AFC funds under successive FFSL presidents.
Unlike successful footballing nations, which integrate foreign-origin players into domestic leagues before calling them up to the national team, Sri Lanka’s approach has been reckless and damaging. The lack of Pro License coaches for the past 30 years has further exacerbated the decline, leaving Sri Lanka lagging behind regional peers like India and the Maldives.
FFSL’s Financial Mismanagement & Political Interference
- FFSL has failed to present audited accounts since 2022, with officials suppressing the ministry’s audit report to avoid scrutiny.
- Stolen equipment, including Adidas footballs, bags, and boots, has been traced to top FFSL officials, including former national captains and the finance manager. CCTV footage reportedly supports these claims.
- Despite widespread allegations, successive sports ministers have turned a blind eye, allowing FFSL officials to manipulate narratives and maintain their grip on power.
- The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for 2023-2024 has been postponed until March 2025—deliberately delaying accountability measures.
Will the Government Finally Take Action?
The newly elected government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, campaigned on an anti-corruption platform. Yet, despite the Ministry of Sports uncovering serious financial mismanagement, no action has been taken to hold FFSL accountable.
The time for promises has long passed. If Sri Lanka is to salvage its footballing future, immediate intervention is needed from the government, FIFA, and relevant stakeholders. Failure to act now will not only doom the sport but also betray the thousands of young Sri Lankan footballers who still dream of wearing the national jersey.
The question remains: Will the government finally clean up the mess in Sri Lankan football, or will corruption continue to suffocate the game?
Football
Sri Lanka Faces Thailand in AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers – Live
Sri Lanka is set to take on Thailand in a crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifier today. With history favoring Thailand in past encounters, the Sri Lankan squad will look to turn the tide and secure a positive result.
Sri Lanka has struggled in previous meetings, losing all five of their last encounters against Thailand, including a 2-0 defeat in their most recent clash in 2022. However, with a revamped squad and fresh motivation, they aim to challenge their higher-ranked opponents.
Thailand, known for its structured play and attacking prowess, will be looking to continue its dominance. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, still in the rebuilding phase, will need a strong defensive display and tactical discipline to stand a chance.
Can Sri Lanka pull off an upset and make a statement on the continental stage? Stay tuned for live updates and post-match analysis.
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