SLC Faces Backlash Over Contract-Based Ventures

COLOMBO (News 1st); Amidst serious allegations and growing criticism, reports indicate that Sri Lanka Cricket is preparing to launch contract-based business ventures.

A set of proposals paving the way for this move was approved on Monday (6).

Against a backdrop of intense criticism and allegations directed at the Sri Lanka Cricket administration, a Special General Meeting was convened at a luxury hotel in Colombo.

At a time when calls are growing louder for entrenched interest groups to step aside and allow Sri Lankan cricket to focus on winning, the group that met yesterday approved several proposals aimed at amending the cricket constitution.

The primary focus of these new proposals is on construction-related contract projects.

The proposals open the way not only for the construction of sports grounds, but also for housing projects.

One of Sri Lanka’s oldest cricket club, Colts Cricket Club, has raised serious concerns over these proposals and has addressed a formal letter to the Sri Lanka Cricket administration outlining multiple issues.

One major concern raised in the letter is the extensive powers granted to the Executive Committee in implementing contract-based projects.

The Colts Cricket Club points out that the proposals grant the Executive Committee and office-bearers broad authority to undertake financial transactions, form partnerships, and execute projects without financial limits or the requirement of member approval at critical decision-making stages.

The letter highlights that the absence of clearly defined financial ceilings and approval mechanisms relating to major financial and contractual commitments poses serious risks.

Accordingly, Colts Cricket Club has urged that appropriate financial limits and mandatory member approval points be incorporated before these proposals are adopted.

On governance, transparency, and oversight, the letter states that general references to existing governance frameworks are insufficient.

Colts Cricket Club further points out that the project plans include significant commercial elements unrelated to cricket, such as tourism and hospitality, which they argue are inconsistent with the organisation’s scope and core objectives.

The club stresses that core cricket priorities must remain central and should not be subordinated to purely commercial interests.

Based on the explanations contained in the letter, several key concerns emerge:

Serious questions regarding accountability and responsibility in the handling of large sums of money for major projects approved by the cricket administration.

A worrying shift away from the fundamental objectives of cricket administration, moving instead toward a purely commercial business model.

A situation where these actions could once again result in foreign exchange earnings that should accrue to the country being lost.

Despite numerous past examples, it is deeply concerning that the same mistakes are being repeated time and again.

In 2017, funds amounting to Rs. 50 million were allocated to commence construction of a project branded as a “Cricket University.”

However, due to the lack of approval from the Ministry of Higher Education, the institution could not legally use the term “university” and was later renamed a High-Performance Centre.

More than six years later, despite funds having been allocated on multiple occasions even for floor-by-floor construction, the project remains in its current incomplete state.

At a time when the nation expects decisive action to bring Sri Lankan cricket back onto a winning path, why does it take so long to make firm decisions regarding entrenched interest groups more focused on business ventures than on the game itself?

Each day of delay serves only to allow these groups to drive Sri Lankan cricket further toward decline and destruction.