Sri Lanka national football team
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| Nickname(s) | Lankan Lions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Football Federation of Sri Lanka | ||
| Sub-confederation | SAFF (South Asia) | ||
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
| Head coach | Nikola Kavazović | ||
| Captain | C.Sanjeewa | ||
| Top scorer | Kasun Jayasuriya (27) | ||
| Home stadium | Sugathadasa Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | SRI | ||
| FIFA ranking |
186  12 (9 April 2015) | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 122 (19 August 1998) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 193 (14 February 2013) | ||
| Elo ranking |
213  (19 April 2015) | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 165 (26 July 1972) | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 213 (17 March 2015) | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
.svg.png){kind=small} Ceylon 0–2 India  (Colombo, Ceylon; 1 January 1952) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Sri Lanka 7–1 Pakistan  (Taipei, Taiwan; 4 April 2008) Sri Lanka 6–0 Bhutan  (Dhaka, Bangladesh; 6 December 2009) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
Ceylon 1–12 East Germany  (Colombo, Ceylon; 8 January 1964) | |||
The Sri Lanka national football team represents Sri Lanka in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka, the governing body for football in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's home grounds are Sugathadasa Stadium and Kalutara Stadium. Sri Lankan team was known as the Ceylon national football team until 1972, when Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka.[1]
A member of the AFC, the team has yet to make their first appearance in FIFA World Cup or AFC Asian Cup finals. They have been South Asian champions once, in 1995. As is true elsewhere on the sub-continent, top-level football in Sri Lanka stands somewhat in the shadow of the country's test cricket team. However, the side did reach the second qualification stage for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the same year they became the Runners Up in AFC Challenge Cup 2006.
In 2014 at the 75th Anniversary of FFSL FIFA President Sepp Blatter visited Sri Lanka and opened a new football stadium in Jaffna. During the visit Blatter said he was not pleased with the development of Football in Sri Lanka and that the authorities haven't taken enough steps to lift up football on the island. The AFC President Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Kalifa also joined the visit.[2]
In The Qualification Round of 2018 FIFA World Cup Sri Lanka lost both matches against Bhutan.This was the first time that Sri Lanka lost a game against Bhutan. Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the next round.
History
Early History
Football was introduced to Sri Lanka by the British when Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, was a colony of the British Empire. There is evidence of the game being played in the sprawling sandy stretches familiarly termed as Galle Face, by bare chested British Servicemen stationed in and around Colombo in the 1890s. The service barracks grounds at Echelon Square where the Galadari Meridian Hotel stands and the Army grounds (presently the Taj Samudra Hotels) were the popular football fields in the game's formative years.
British service units such as Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery and the Royal Garrison Command were the pioneers who promoted competitive football in this country. The British administrative service and the British planting community took the sport to the Central, Southern, and Up-Country regions with the equal zest and fervor. By early 1900 football as a competitive sport, was popular amongst the local youth. Though playing bare feet, the native players had mastered the skills of the game, and in fact, donned the Services Jerseys as replacements or reserves in many an exclusively white dominated team.
The game grew popular leading to the formation of local football clubs. Some of the first clubs in Colombo were St. Michael's SC, Havelock's Football Club, Java Lane SC, Wekande SC, Moors FC and CH & FC, the last being exclusively a European monopoly. Harequins FC and Saunders SC soon joined. The trophies of the principal tournaments of that era were the De Mel Shield and the Times of Ceylon Cup. Southern Provence - the sport had a fair impact on the masses, with the planting and administrative community leading the promotion of the game in a big way. T R. Brough a British planter in Deniyaya contributed much to the game in the South between 1910-1920. The British Servicemen from the Navy wireless station in Matara also helped to popularize the sport.[3]
1995 SAFF Championship
This was the second SAFF Championship Tournament which was named as 1995 South Asian Gold Cup. The five countries participating in this tournament were India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. Sri Lanka was the host of the South Asian Gold Cup for the first time.
Sri Lanka was placed in the Group B with India. The match between Sri Lanka and India ended with a 2-2 draw. Mohamed Amanulla scored both goals for Sri Lanka, the second goal due to a penalty. Sri Lanka qualified for the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals Sri Lanka played against Nepal. Sri Lanka beat Nepal 2-1 in extra time to qualify for the finals. The Final was held between Sri Lanka and India. Sri Lanka beat India 1-0 and won their first championship title in football. Sarath Wellage scored the winning goal in the 108th minute.
2006 AFC Challenge Cup
This was the first AFC Challenge Cup tournament that was held by the Asian Football Confederation. This tournament acted as a qualification for the AFC Asian Cup and was held in Bangladesh. Sri Lanka became the Runner Up in the 2006 AFC Challenge Cup after losing the final against Tajikistan with 4-0. Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup but received the fair play award.
2015 Bangabandhu Gold Cup
Sri Lanka played for the first time in the Bangabandhu Cup. This tournament was organized by Bangladesh Football Federation. The national U-23 TEAMS of Thailand, Bahrain, Malaysia and Singapore participated in this tournament. The national football teams of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also competed in this tournament.
Sri Lanka was placed in the group with Malaysia and Bangladesh. In the first game Sri Lanka played against the Malaysian team. Malaysia won the match by 2-0. The second match was played against the host Bangladesh. Sri Lanka lost the game 1-0. Sri Lanka failed to score a goal in this tournament.
Competitive Record
FIFA World Cup
| World Cup finals | World Cup qualifications | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts/Year | Result | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
| 1930 to 1990 | Did Not Enter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
 1994 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 26 | |
 1998 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |
  2002 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 20 | |
 2006 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 11 | |
 2010 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
 2014 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
 2018 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
 2022 | TBD | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Total | 0/21 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 31 | 3 | 6 | 22 | 21 | 75 | |
AFC Asian Cup
| Asian Cup finals | Asian Cup qualifications | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts/Year | Result | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
| 1956 to 1992 | Did Not Enter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
 1996 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 25 | |
 2000 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 18 | |
 2004 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 26 | |
    2007 | Did Not Enter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2011 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 28 | 24 | |
 2015 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | |
| 2019 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Total | 0/17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 37 | 10 | 3 | 24 | 41 | 109 | |
SAFF Championship
| Hosts/Year | Result | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Runners-up | 2/4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 1995 | Champions | 1/6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
 1997 | Semi-Finals | 4/6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| 1999 | Group Stage | 5/6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 2003 | Group Stage | 5/8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2005 | Group Stage | 7/8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
 2008 | Semi-Finals | 3/4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 2009 | Semi-Finals | 4/8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 7 |
| 2011 | Group Stage | 6/8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 2013 | Group Stage | 7/8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 15 |
| 2015 | TBD | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
AFC Challenge Cup
| AFC Challenge Cup finals | AFC Challenge Cup qualifications | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts/Year | Result | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
| 2006 | Runners-up | 2/16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2008 | Group Stage | 7/8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 4 | |
| 2010 | Group Stage | 5/8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2012 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| 2014 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |
| Total | 3/5 | - | 12 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 18 | |
- In 2011 and 2015 The AFC Challenge Cup acted as the qualification for the Asian Cup.
- AFC Challenge Cup has been cancelled by AFC.
Fixtures and Results
2015
Win Draw Lose
| Bangabandu Cup 29 January 2015 | Malaysia U-22 |
2–0 | Sri Lanka |
Sylhet District Stadium, Sylhet | ||
| 17:00 UTC+6 | Syahrul  45+4 p ' Ridzuan 60' |
Attendance: 7,000 | ||||
| Bangabandu Cup 02 February 2015 | Bangladesh |
1–0 | Sri Lanka |
Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka | ||
| 17:00 UTC+6 | Hemanta 41' |
Referee: Khamis Mohammed SA Al-Marri | ||||
| 2018 WC Q. Round 1 12 March 2015 | Sri Lanka |
0-1 | Bhutan |
Colombo, Sri Lanka | ||
| 15:00 UTC+5:30 | Report | Dorji 84' |
Stadium: Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Fu Ming(CHN) | |||
| 2018 WC Q. Round 1 17 March 2015 | Bhutan |
2-1 | Sri Lanka |
Thimpu, Bhutan | ||
| 16:00 UTC+6:00 | Chencho Gyeltshen 5 , 90' |
Report | Zarwan 34' |
Stadium: Changlimithang Stadium , Thimpu Attendance: 15000 Referee: Marai Al Awaji(KSA) | ||
Home Stadiums
Sugathadasa Stadium is the former athletic stadium in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1972 and has a capacity of 28,000.[4] The stadium is mostly used for athletics and football. The 1995 SAFF Championship was held in this stadium.
Team Records
| Country | Matches | Win | Draw | Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mongolia | 1 | 1 | ||
 Seychelles | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| India | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| Pakistan | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 |
 Myanmar | 7 | 1 | 6 | |
| Germany | 1 | 1 | ||
 Iraq | 1 | 1 | ||
 Jordan | 1 | 1 | ||
 Bahrain | 2 | 2 | ||
| Malaysia | 8 | 1 | 7 | |
| Indonesia | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
 Laos | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
 Oman | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
 Sudan | 1 | 1 | ||
 Singapore | 5 | 1 | 4 | |
| Japan | 3 | 3 | ||
 Cambodia | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| China | 2 | 2 | ||
| Nepal | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| Thailand | 5 | 5 | ||
| Bangladesh | 15 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
 Brunei | 1 | 1 | ||
| Bhutan | 7 | 5 | 2 | |
 Guam | 1 | 1 | ||
 Saudi Arabia | 2 | 2 | ||
| UAE | 7 | 7 | ||
| Maldives | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
 Iran | 2 | 2 | ||
| Qatar | 3 | 3 | ||
 Philippines | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
 Uzbekistan | 1 | 1 | ||
| Vietnam | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
| Lebanon | 3 | 3 | ||
 Korea DPR | 3 | 3 | ||
 Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 1 | ||
 Afghanistan | 7 | 1 | 6 | |
 Chinese Taipei | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
 Syria | 3 | 3 | ||
 Turkmenistan | 5 | 1 | 4 | |
 Tajikistan | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
 Hong Kong | 1 | 1 | ||
Kit
The traditional national team's home kit has mostly been maroon shirts and maroon shorts, but blue colours have also been used. The colours are derived from the 15th century flag of Kingdom of Kandy. The away shirt colour has changed several times. The Sri Lankan team used white shirt with white shorts or black shirt with black shorts. Historically, white shirt with white shorts is the most often used colour combination. The kits are currently manufactured by Adidas.
Players
Current squad
The following 18 players played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) matches.[5]
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Records
| # | Player | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kasun Jayasuriya | | 2000–2009 |
| 2. | Channa Ediri Bandanage | | 1999–2012 |
| 3. | Vivek Sunderalingam | | 199?–2001 |
Coaches
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Notes
References
- ↑ http://www.sundaytimes.lk/130623/sports/sri-lankas-first-international-win-at-football-49901.html
- ↑ http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/president/news/newsid=2487294/index.html
- ↑ http://archives.dailynews.lk/2011/09/24/spo32.asp
- ↑ http://nl.soccerway.com/national/sri-lanka/champions-league/20122013/regular-season/r21175/venues/?ICID=PL_3N_05
- ↑ "Sri Lankas". Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ↑ László Földesi. "International Goals of Sri Lanka". RSSSF. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
External links
| Preceded by 1993 India |
South Asian Champions 1995 (First title) |
Succeeded by 1997 India |
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