- Why was political interference condemned in cricket but facilitated in rugby?
The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) recent decision to deprive Sri Lanka of international hosting rights sends a clear message: political interference in the administration of sport will carry serious consequences.
Yet this raises an unavoidable and deeply troubling question: Why was the same principle not applied to Sri Lanka Rugby?
World Rugby suspended Sri Lanka Rugby in May 2023, publicly citing governance concerns and a breach of its Bye-Laws relating to political interference. However, the process that followed appeared to move in the opposite direction.
World Rugby and Asia Rugby subsequently participated in a governance process involving the Ministry of Sports, the National Olympic Committee and selected parties. This process ultimately paved the way for changes to the Sri Lanka Rugby Constitution and a restructuring of its administration.
The central issue is not whether rugby required reform. Every sporting body must be accountable. The real issue is whether those constitutional changes were introduced lawfully, transparently and with the valid approval of Sri Lanka Rugby’s legitimate voting membership. I maintain that they were not.
A national sporting constitution cannot be rewritten through political pressure, administrative convenience or the wishes of outside individuals. Any amendment must follow the existing constitution, Sri Lankan law, due process and the democratic rights of the recognised voting members.
If those requirements were bypassed, the resulting constitution cannot be legitimised merely because international or regional rugby officials participated in the process.
This reveals an alarming contradiction.
The ICC insists that Sri Lanka Cricket must manage its affairs autonomously and without Government interference. World Rugby itself suspended Sri Lanka Rugby for alleged political interference. Yet World Rugby and Asia Rugby later accepted a process in which Government representatives were directly involved in determining the future governance structure of Sri Lanka Rugby.
Political interference cannot be illegal on the day a suspension is imposed and acceptable on the day a constitution is rewritten.
Either sporting autonomy is a genuine international principle, or it is merely a weapon applied selectively against particular administrations and individuals.
Sri Lankan rugby has suffered enormously through suspensions, court disputes, administrative instability, mounting liabilities and the marginalisation of its legitimate stakeholders. Players, clubs and supporters have paid the price while those responsible for the governance crisis have escaped proper scrutiny. That must end.
Fully independent inquiry
I call for a fully independent inquiry into:
- The circumstances surrounding the suspension of Sri Lanka Rugby.
- All communications between the Ministry of Sports, World Rugby and Asia Rugby.
- The authority under which the constitutional review was conducted.
- Whether every constitutional amendment followed the required legal and voting procedures.
- The identities and interests of those who proposed, promoted and approved the changes.
- Whether Sri Lanka Rugby’s legitimate membership was pressured, bypassed or denied its democratic rights.
- Whether World Rugby and Asia Rugby applied their political-interference rules consistently and impartially.
If such an inquiry is formally constituted, I am prepared to appear before it and provide clear documentary evidence supporting these concerns.
This is not a personal battle. It is about protecting the independence, legality and future of Sri Lanka Rugby.
Rugby public deserves more
The rugby public deserves more than carefully worded international statements. It deserves the complete documentary truth.
If the ICC can defend the autonomy of cricket by taking decisive action, World Rugby and Asia Rugby must explain why the governance of Sri Lankan rugby was treated differently.
There cannot be one law for cricket and another for rugby. There cannot be one definition of political interference for those in power and another for those removed from office.
Sri Lanka Rugby does not belong to a minister, an international official, a temporary committee or any politically connected individual.
It belongs to its lawful membership, its clubs, its players and the people of Sri Lanka.
Let an independent inquiry begin. Let every document be produced. Let every decision-maker answer under oath.
The evidence—not influence, politics or institutional power—must now determine the truth.
The factual foundation includes the ICC’s statement that Sri Lanka Cricket had failed to operate autonomously and without Government interference, resulting in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup being moved, and World Rugby’s own statement that SLR was suspended over governance concerns and political interference. World Rugby/Asia Rugby later confirmed that the constitutional review group included Ministry representatives.
(The author was President
Sri Lanka Rugby in 2020/23)
