An audit report conducted by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, dated 20th July 2023, has revealed widespread financial mismanagement within the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL). The audit was initiated following numerous complaints received by the Minister of Sports, Hon. Roshan Ranasinghe, and conducted by a committee comprising B.M.S.S. Basnayake, Chief Internal Auditor of the Sports Development Department (Chairperson), W.P.D.M.J. Perera, Chief Accountant of the Ministry, and B.H. Kalasuriya, Chief Internal Auditor of the Ministry.

The audit focused on five major inquiries, each uncovering serious breaches of financial protocol:

1. Purchase of Zolo Footballs

The FFSL advanced a payment of LKR 12.775 million to Ceylon Professional Sports Management for the purchase of Zolo footballs, violating government tender procedures. The full payment was made without securing a financial guarantee from the vendor, and to date of inquiry, the footballs have not been received.

Committee Recommendations:
The Finance Manager is instructed to demand either the footballs or a refund immediately. Furthermore, since the President’s office was sealed, the committee could not verify whether Executive Committee approval was granted for the payment. Once the new Executive Committee is in place, an inquiry must be made, and if approval was not granted, a complaint should be lodged with the CID.

Editor’s Comment:
How did the Finance Manager approve such a large payment without the Executive Committee’s approval, and why has no action been taken against the former President, who was reappointed despite these allegations?

2. Ceylon Provincial League 2022 Food Bills

Over LKR 13.9 million was spent on food for the Ceylon Provincial League teams, but no valid documents were attached to justify these expenses. Bills were presented on A4-sized paper, raising questions about their authenticity.

Committee Recommendations:
Suppliers have been contacted via registered post, but due to the lack of detailed billing, the committee recommends lodging a CID complaint for further investigation.

3. USD 700,000 Withdrawal from FFSL Accounts

Under the direction of the FFSL President and Treasurer, USD 700,000 was transferred from the FFSL’s foreign currency account to a local currency account without Executive Committee approval or following proper procedures.

Committee Recommendations:
A proper mechanism for handling currency transfers must be implemented to prevent such unauthorized transactions in the future.

4. USD 30,000 Media Rights Payment

The FFSL failed to receive a USD 30,000 payment for the media rights of the Mahinda Rajapakse Trophy. Additionally, Public Service Media confirmed that they did not receive USD 10,000 for broadcasting a SAFF Sri Lanka match.

Committee Recommendations:

1. Ensure that Mr. Asif Ansar, who handled the transaction, provides the necessary receipt for the USD 10,000 payment or returns the money to FFSL.
2. Recover the USD 30,000 media rights payment from Public Service Media.
3. If Mr. Ansar fails to comply, lodge a complaint with the CID.

5. Zolo Sponsorship for Champions League

It was noted that Zolo sponsored the Champions League, but no documentation was found to verify this partnership.

Committee Recommendations:
Without any records, the committee could not investigate further. They recommend future deals be documented properly.

Lack of Action from Authorities

Despite these findings being submitted to the Ministry of Sports and Youth on 20th July 2023, no actions have been taken to address these serious allegations. To date, no complaints have been lodged with the CID or other relevant authorities.

The full audit report is attached for readers and relevant authorities to review.

Attachment: Full Audit Report on FFSL Mismanagement (Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, 20th July 2023)