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.