News

Overseas Football Players who are eligible to Represent Sri Lanka

Published

6 years ago

November 26, 2020

Editor

There are currently numerous players with strong Sri Lankan roots who play football in Overseas Leagues. Football Sri Lanka has kept a close eye on all these players, tracking their progress and skill levels to see which players can bring a positive impact to the Sri Lankan National Team

The following five players have already applied for dual citizenship and started the necessary processes of making it into the National squad, while the rest are yet to start any such procedures;

Players who are already applied for the Dual Citizenship to represent the National Team

Hamilton O Mervyn

Age : 32 yrs. (DOB: 8 Oct 1988)

Height : 6’

Citizenship : British

Position : Midfield

Current club : Whitehawk FC

League : Whitehawk FC is a Semi Professional, non-league English football club based in Whitehawk, a suburb of the city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. Whitehawk FC play in the Isthmian South East Division (English non-league step 4 – Level 8)

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

2. Reef Sebastian Peries

Age : 19 yrs (DOB: 30 Oct. 2001)

Height : 5’ 11”

Citizenship : British

Position : Right Wing Back

Current club : Woking FC (Academy Team)

League : Woking Football Club is a semi-professional association football club, based in Woking, Surrey, England. Founded in 1889, the club plays its home matches at Kingfield Stadium and is nicknamed the Cardinals. Currently, they compete in the National League, the fifth tier of English football.

Category : Sri Lankan Grandparent

3. Ryan Anthony Peries

Age :18 yrs (DOB: 20 Jul 2002)

Height : 6’ 2”

Citizenship : British

Position : Midfield

Current club : Bournemouth University FC

Category : Sri Lankan Grandparent

4. Haneef Mohamed Haseef Mohamed

Age : 27 yrs (DOB: 23 Aug 1993)

Height : 5’ 6”

Citizenship : Switzerland

Position : Left / Right Winger, Attacking Midfielder

Current club : FC Engstringen

League : FC Engstringen plays in the Football Association of the Zurich Region FVRZ 3rd League of Swiss Football Association.

Category : Sri Lankan Father & Mother

5. Vigneswaran Dagsan

Age : 16 yrs (DOB: 02 May 2004)

Height : 6’

Citizenship : Switzerland

Position : Center Back / Midfielder

Current club : Lausanne Sport

League : FC Engstringen plays in the Football Association of the Zurich Region FVRZ 3rd League of Swiss Football Association.

Category : Sri Lankan Father & Mother

Players who are eligible to apply for the Dual Citizenship to represent the National Team

Claudio Matthias

Age : 21 yrs (DOB: 7 July 1999)

Height : 6’ 1”

Citizenship : Deutsch (German)

Position : Center Back, Left Back, Right Back

Current club : SC Freiburg

League : Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga. SC Freiburg II is the reserve team of German association football club SC Freiburg plays in the Regionalliga Südwest (English: Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Bayern, Regionalliga Nordost, Regionalliga Nord, and the Regionalliga West.

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

2. Canistan Regize

Age : 23 yrs (DOB: 25 Mar 1997)

Height : 5’ 7”

Citizenship : French

Position : Midfielder

Current club : FC Montceau, Boergogne

League : Football Club Montceau Bourgogne is a French association football team founded in 1948. They are based in Montceau-les-Mines, Bourgogne, France and are currently playing in the Championnat National 3. The league serves as the fifth division of the French Football League.

Category : Sri Lankan Father & Mother

3. Kelly Garrett Christopher

Age : 24 yrs (DOB: 13 Apr 1996)

Height : 6’ 1”

Citizenship : British

Position : Central Midfield

Current club : Almyros Gaziou FC (Greece)

League : Almyros Gaziou FC plays in the Gamma Ethniki the fourth highest football league in Greece.

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

4. Manimeldura Leon Perera

Age : 23 yrs (DOB: 1 Jan 1997)

Height : 5’ 8”

Citizenship : Deutsch (German)

Position : Central Midfield

Current club : MTV Treubund Lüneburg

League : MTV Treubund Lüneburg competes in the Landesliga Lüneburg, called the Bezirksoberliga Lüneburg from 1979 to 1994 and 2006 to 2010, is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Lower Saxony.

Category : Sri Lankan Father

5. Tiffan Anthonypillai

Age : 18 yrs. (DOB: 21 Sep 2002)

Height : 5’ 7”

Citizenship : Canadian

Position : Right Back

Current club : Cs Saint-Laurent, Montréal,Canada

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

6. Chikereuba Tochokwu Francis

Age : 27 yrs (DOB: 24 Apr 1993)

Height : 6’ 3”

Citizenship : Nigerian

Position : Central Defender

Current club : Java Lane SC, Colombo

League : Champions League – Sri Lanka

Category : Sri Lankan Spouse & Children

7. Poopathithasan Nilooshan

Age : 19 yrs (DOB: 19 Jul 2001)

Height : TBC

Citizenship : Deutsch (German)

Position : TBC

Current club : TBC

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

Furthermore, Waseem Razeek and his brother Muzakir Razeek already eligible to represent the country.

Cricket

Kamil, Shanaka power Sri Lanka to series-levelling win

Published

1 hour ago

June 14, 2026

Editor

A brilliant unbeaten half-century from Kamil Mishara and a destructive late cameo by Dasun Shanaka guided Sri Lanka to a convincing 37-run victory over West Indies and levelled the three match T20 series.

Sri Lanka recovered strongly after a shaky start to post an imposing 194 for 6. Pathum Nissanka fell early for seven, while captain Kusal Mendis made a quick-fire 31 off 19 balls before becoming one of three wickets claimed by Shamar Joseph. When Pavan Rathnayake was dismissed for one, Sri Lanka were struggling at 43 for 3 inside seven overs.
Mishara then steadied the innings with a mature knock, combining caution with aggression. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 61 from 40 deliveries, striking four fours and three sixes. Kamindu Mendis supported him with 24 before Shanaka launched a spectacular assault in the death overs.

The former captain hammered 58 from only 24 balls, smashing five boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate above 240. His 103-run stand with Mishara completely changed the complexion of the innings and propelled Sri Lanka close to the 200-run mark.

Chasing 195, West Indies suffered an early collapse as Brandon King and skipper Shai Hope were both trapped leg-before wicket inside the first two overs. Shimron Hetmyer (36) and Rovman Powell (43) threatened to keep the visitors in contention with an aggressive partnership, but Sri Lanka’s bowlers struck at regular intervals.

Dushmantha Chameera delivered a match-winning spell of 3 for 9, while Wanindu Hasaranga picked up three wickets despite conceding runs. Dunith Wellalage claimed two wickets and Maheesh Theekshana added one as West Indies were bowled out for 157 in 18.1 overs.

The victory ensured Sri Lanka squared the series and set up an exciting decider on Monday.

News

Sri Lanka Eyes Strong Showing at Billie Jean King Cup in Kuala Lumpur

Published

7 hours ago

June 14, 2026

Editor

Sri Lanka will begin its campaign at the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Asia/Oceania Group II tournament when the prestigious regional team event serves off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on June 15.

The competition, which runs for six days at the National Tennis Centre, will bring together ten nations from across the Asia-Oceania region. Joining Sri Lanka in the battle for honours are Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong China, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, hosts Malaysia, Pacific Oceania, the Philippines, Singapore and Uzbekistan.

Teams have been drawn into two groups of five and will contest round-robin matches from June 15 to 19. The tournament will conclude with decisive play-off encounters on June 20 to determine promotion and relegation.

With two places available in the 2027 Asia/Oceania Group I competition, the stakes are high for all participating teams. Nations finishing at the bottom of the standings will face relegation to Group III.

Sri Lanka has entrusted a youthful squad with the responsibility of carrying the national flag at the tournament. The team includes Dinara De Silva (St. Bridget’s Convent), Yuhansa Peiris (Bishop’s College), Akeesha Silva (Newstead Girls’ College, Negombo), Annaya Norbet (Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya) and Sandithi Usgoda Arachchi (Musaeus College).

Guiding the side will be experienced coach Dineshkanthan Thangarajah, who has been appointed captain for the tournament. His role will be crucial as the young Sri Lankan players seek to make an impact against some of the region’s strongest teams.

News

Vision Care Colombo Championship Set to Serve Off on 19 June

Published

19 hours ago

June 13, 2026

Editor

The 111 Vision Care Colombo Championship 2026, one of Sri Lanka’s most prestigious and long-standing ‘A’ Grade tennis tournaments, will get underway on 19 June at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) Playing Section courts in Colombo.

Held on six iconic clay courts, this year’s championship is expected to attract a record number of entries from across the country. The tournament will also offer its largest-ever prize pool of Rs. 3 million, underlining its growing status on the local tennis calendar.

Organizers say the increased investment reflects a long-term commitment to nurturing local tennis talent and raising the standard of competition. Last year’s event featured a prize purse of Rs. 2.5 million, with the amount steadily increasing over recent years.

Tournament officials expressed their ambition of developing the championship into a future ‘Colombo Open’ capable of attracting leading players from across South Asia. They emphasized that the event is not only about tennis but also about building a strong sporting identity for Sri Lanka.

The championship will feature Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles events, as well as Mixed Doubles. Junior competitions will be conducted for boys and girls from Under-12 to Under-18 age categories, while senior events will cater to players in the Over-35, Over-45, Over-55 and Over-65 divisions.

Vision Care continues its longstanding support as title sponsor for the 12th consecutive year. Wilson has come on board as the Official Ball Partner.

The sponsorship handover ceremony was attended by Vision Care Managing Director Janaka Fonseka, SLTA Playing Section President Sriya Munasinghe, Captain Prasantha Dissanayake, and other officials representing both the SLTA and Vision Care.