News

Overseas Football Players who are eligible to Represent Sri Lanka

Published

5 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

Lahore Qalandars Sign Talented Sri Lankan Spinner Ahead of PSL 11

Published

17 hours ago

March 14, 2026

Editor

Lahore Qalandars have strengthened their squad for PSL 11 with the signing of Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage, as the defending champions finalize their overseas options before the tournament begins on 26 March. His arrival comes after West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie withdrew from the season, reportedly due to travel disruptions following the T20 World Cup.

At just 23, Wellalage is seen as a high-upside addition and a like-for-like replacement for Motie. He impressed at the World Cup with eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.22, while also showing promise as a lower-middle-order batter—an asset in the fast-paced format of T20 cricket.

The Qalandars, who have claimed three of the last four PSL titles, will open their campaign in the tournament’s first match against the newly introduced Hyderabad Kingsmen. Wellalage will also reunite with fellow Sri Lankan Dasun Shanaka, who was secured earlier in the auction, giving Lahore a strong Sri Lankan presence in their lineup.

Elsewhere, overseas reshuffles continue to affect other franchises. Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani has withdrawn from PSL 11 after signing with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, leaving Islamabad United to adjust their plans. With PSL and IPL schedules overlapping once again, teams across both leagues are bracing for further last-minute changes to their squads.

Cricket

India May Play Extra T20Is in Sri Lanka Amid Packed Schedule

Published

19 hours ago

March 14, 2026

Editor

India’s cricket calendar could become even busier this summer, with discussions underway to add extra T20 Internationals in both Sri Lanka and Ireland. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering proposals that would see the world champions squeeze in additional fixtures before their scheduled tours of England and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Cricket has reportedly requested India to play three T20Is in July-August as part of a fundraising initiative for flood relief, following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah last November. If approved, the matches would precede the two World Test Championship fixtures already planned between the two nations. India’s T20I side, led by Suryakumar Yadav, would therefore begin the Sri Lanka tour with white-ball cricket before switching focus to the red-ball format.

Meanwhile, talks are also progressing between the BCCI and Cricket Ireland over a three-match T20I series in Dublin in late June. The games would likely take place en route to England, where India are scheduled for a white-ball series featuring three ODIs and five T20Is from July 1 to 19. India has a history of playing short bilateral series in Ireland, having toured Dublin in 2018, 2022, and 2023 to support the growth of cricket in the region.

These potential additions come on the heels of India’s home series against Afghanistan, which runs from June 6 to 20 and includes one Test and three ODIs. If the Ireland and Sri Lanka proposals are finalized, India’s players will face a relentless stretch of matches across formats and continents, underscoring the demands of modern international cricket.

Cricket

Pakistan Cricketer Salman Mirza Issues Legal Notice Over Kandy Hotel Allegations

Published

2 days ago

March 12, 2026

Editor

Pakistan fast bowler Salman Mirza has served a legal notice to broadcaster ARY Communications and journalist Shahid Hashmi, accusing them of spreading false and defamatory claims about his conduct during the team’s recent stay in Sri Lanka.

The notice, dated March 12, refers to a report aired on March 5 by ARY News which alleged that Mirza had misbehaved with a female staff member at the team hotel in Kandy and that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had fined him over the incident.

Mirza has strongly denied the allegations, with his legal team describing the broadcast as baseless and damaging to his reputation. The PCB also rejected the claims through its official X account, calling the report “agenda-driven fake news” and stressing that no disciplinary action had been taken against the player.

In the legal notice, Mirza’s lawyers demanded that ARY News and Hashmi retract the report from all platforms, issue an unconditional public apology, and pay damages of 100 million Pakistani rupees for the harm caused to his reputation and goodwill. The notice further warns that court proceedings will be initiated if these demands are not met within seven days.