Football Federation of Sri Lanka President Jaswar Umar has been elected vice president of the South Asian Football Federation, the FFSL said in a statement on Saturday.
Umar was elected unanimously at the SAFF Executive Committee meeting in Bhutan, with all seven member associations — India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — backing him.
At the same SAFF Congress in Thimphu, Kazi Salahuddin of Bangladesh was re-elected unopposed as SAFF president for a fifth consecutive term.
Ranking gain cited by the federation
Umar took charge of Sri Lankan football just over two years ago. The FFSL statement said Sri Lanka’s FIFA world ranking has risen by more than 20 places under his tenure, from 207 to 187, which it described as the country’s best position in more than 15 years.
The federation also credited his administration with tightening governance, strengthening domestic competitions and expanding investment in youth and grassroots football. Those assessments are the FFSL’s own; Ada Derana and NewsFirst both carried the statement.
Umar already sits on the FIFA Grassroots Football Committee and the AFC Development Committee.
The FFSL said attention now turns to the SAFF Championship in November, where Sri Lanka will attempt to win the regional title for the first time in decades.
Context
The FFSL under Umar has been running a reform programme branded “Next Chapter”, which included a plan to set up permanent offices for all 61 member leagues. On the field, Sri Lanka beat Bhutan 4-1 in an international friendly in Bangkok in June.
