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| Vidusha Silva |
Football coach Vidusha Silva blames Federation
The story of Sri Lanka football has been quite a disappointing one. Although Sri Lanka had many decent individual players over the years, the performance as a result-oriented team actually never materialised. One would put the blame on players or officials, but whatever has been happening around Sri Lanka football certainly doesn’t help the sport develop in the island. Sri Lanka’s recent 10-0 defeat to Maldives sums up the pathetic display of the ones that matter.
Vidusha Silva, one of the most promising young coaches in the country talking to The Nation criticised the coaches and players for using obsolete football techniques and ploys. “Most of our coaches and players are still stuck with a football culture that was played and practised decades ago. We as a football community and a football federation have not tried to update the type or brand of football we play here in this country,” the head coach of Old Peteritess Football Club (OPFC) said.
Silva, who inspired OPFC footballers to clinch the coveted Rev. Father Joe Wickramasinghe Memorial Trophy in his first year as head coach, further explained how the game hasn’t modernised or evolved in Sri Lanka.“To state a very obvious example, most of our coaches are still stuck on with positions like a sweeper or a last man that eliminates the offside factor from the game, they have failed to identify that the football world has now learnt to play with a solid ‘Back 4’ and the use of the offside trap has become a better ploy. In another example, it is staggering that most coaches in this country do not understand how a left back or a right back could help out in a more direct manner in attack, it is unbelievable to me how uneducated they are about the game and they pass on the wrong instructions and information down the line,” the vibrant head coach added.
The Old Petes coach also lambasted the Football Federation for the poor commitment they have shown. “We produce players who are not capable of competing at higher standards of football. When we produce players that are not at that level, Sri Lanka as a team at international level becomes the laughing stock as it has been in the recent past. To be honest it’s shameful to witness a Sri Lankan team being battered 10-0 by Maldives and it truly hurts. Do we point the finger at players? No! We must point the finger directly at the football federation that has done nothing. I mean literally nothing to take football in Sri Lanka to the potential level it should have reached today.
“We have coaches at all levels of football and especially at our national level they do not understand the basics of coaching a team. Having a valid coaching certificate and playing a bit of football does not make you a good coach. It is how you understand your team, feed off information from your team, understand the team’s ability to play in the formation that is prepared, and use the best system that the team must adopt in order to achieve desirable results, that alone makes a better coach in any sane person’s opinion.
“It is not determined by the number of drills you know or what to do at a practice session, or the experience you have loitering around football grounds. The Football Federation of Sri Lanka has failed to see this as one of the many reasons for the sport to literally rot in the country. The federation can sugarcoat the pill and tell the football community of this country that they have done their part to improve football in the country, built and restructured these football venues and organised a couple of tournaments here and there.
“But I tell you with responsibility that they have done absolutely nothing to improve the level of football in this country starting from the grass-roots level. In my honest opinion they have not identified the real cause for any of the mentioned football issues which is the reason for Sri Lanka to get massacred at international level, especially against a very mediocre Maldives team,” Silva said.
Vidusha Silva, one of the most promising young coaches in the country talking to The Nation criticised the coaches and players for using obsolete football techniques and ploys. “Most of our coaches and players are still stuck with a football culture that was played and practised decades ago. We as a football community and a football federation have not tried to update the type or brand of football we play here in this country,” the head coach of Old Peteritess Football Club (OPFC) said.
Silva, who inspired OPFC footballers to clinch the coveted Rev. Father Joe Wickramasinghe Memorial Trophy in his first year as head coach, further explained how the game hasn’t modernised or evolved in Sri Lanka.“To state a very obvious example, most of our coaches are still stuck on with positions like a sweeper or a last man that eliminates the offside factor from the game, they have failed to identify that the football world has now learnt to play with a solid ‘Back 4’ and the use of the offside trap has become a better ploy. In another example, it is staggering that most coaches in this country do not understand how a left back or a right back could help out in a more direct manner in attack, it is unbelievable to me how uneducated they are about the game and they pass on the wrong instructions and information down the line,” the vibrant head coach added.
The Old Petes coach also lambasted the Football Federation for the poor commitment they have shown. “We produce players who are not capable of competing at higher standards of football. When we produce players that are not at that level, Sri Lanka as a team at international level becomes the laughing stock as it has been in the recent past. To be honest it’s shameful to witness a Sri Lankan team being battered 10-0 by Maldives and it truly hurts. Do we point the finger at players? No! We must point the finger directly at the football federation that has done nothing. I mean literally nothing to take football in Sri Lanka to the potential level it should have reached today.
“We have coaches at all levels of football and especially at our national level they do not understand the basics of coaching a team. Having a valid coaching certificate and playing a bit of football does not make you a good coach. It is how you understand your team, feed off information from your team, understand the team’s ability to play in the formation that is prepared, and use the best system that the team must adopt in order to achieve desirable results, that alone makes a better coach in any sane person’s opinion.
“It is not determined by the number of drills you know or what to do at a practice session, or the experience you have loitering around football grounds. The Football Federation of Sri Lanka has failed to see this as one of the many reasons for the sport to literally rot in the country. The federation can sugarcoat the pill and tell the football community of this country that they have done their part to improve football in the country, built and restructured these football venues and organised a couple of tournaments here and there.
“But I tell you with responsibility that they have done absolutely nothing to improve the level of football in this country starting from the grass-roots level. In my honest opinion they have not identified the real cause for any of the mentioned football issues which is the reason for Sri Lanka to get massacred at international level, especially against a very mediocre Maldives team,” Silva said.
Author:Harsha Amarasinghe
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