Sri Lanka hosts AFC Challenge Cup football

By Champika Fernando

After a disastrous campaign at the South Asian Games, Sri Lanka will eye some respectability when they host the third AFC Challenge Cup football championships, a second tier tournament for Asia’s developing football nations from February 16-27.
Sri Lanka, which has featured regularly in the tournament, was the runner-up in the inaugural tournament and also featured in the final round in 2008 without success. The team will have a herculean task on their shoulders, when they confront Myanmar in its opening battle in the eight-team tournament on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka which made some radical changes to the national side following its miserable run at the South Asian Games football tournament brought in seven newcomers into the side in place of established players.
They have also sacked the entire national team management including national coach Sampath Perera for next week’s tournament.
Sri Lanka, the defending runner up of the eight nation tournament, failed to make it even to the semi-final during the tournament held in Dhaka.
Football sources said that though the team can boast of a slight chance of entering the semi-finals provided they win at least two out of three group matches, a further progress is a mere impossibility.
Sri Lanka is grouped with 2006 champions and 2008 runner-up Tajikistan, Myanmar which boast a FIFA ranking of 141 and Bangladesh, the newly crowned South Asian Games champions, which speaks volumes on the task ahead for the Lankans. The group consists India, the defending champions, North Korea, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. The champions receive an automatic qualification to the AFC Asian Cup 2011 finals to be held in Qatar.
The team captained by Rohana Ruwanthilaka includes freshers who have been promoted to the national team from the U-23 side and is coached by former national captain and star striker Mohammed Amanulla while the technical know-how will be from Korean Jang Jung, the former national coach.
The newcomers to the side are K.K.C. Lankesara, Niranga Perera, Fazul Rahuman, M.N.M. Izadeen, Nadeeka Pushpakumara, Chathura Samarasekera and S. Sanjeev.
The qualifying matches will be played at the Sugathadasa Stadium and at CR and FC grounds while the semi-finals and the final will be at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

The Sri Lanka squad -
Asanka Viraj, Sampath Bandara and Mohamed Ajmal (Goal Keepers), Rohana Dinesh Ruwantilake (Captain), Banadara Warakagoda, Mohamed Imtiyas, Chathura Gunarathne, Madushka Piries, K.K.C. Lankesara and Niranga Perera ( Defenders), Imtiayas Raheem, Fazul Rahuman, M.N.M. Izadeen, Nadeeka Pushpakumara, Chathura Samarasekera, Tuwan Rizni and Malik Migara ( Mid Fielder), S. Sanjeev, M. Kais and Dulip Dalpathado ( Forward).