Sri Lanka Super League
Season2021
Dates19 April 2021 – 11 January 2022
ChampionsBlue Star (1st title)
AFC CupBlue Star
Matches played45
Goals scored137 (3.04 per match)
Top goalscorerSenal Sandesh Pingho (10 goals)
2022 →

The 2021 Sri Lanka Super League was the first season of Sri Lanka Super League, after a significant 3 Year delay resulting in Sri Lanka Football having a dry period of a lack of top division football. Today it was meant to be the top division of Sri Lankan football. The season after numerous political delays and lack of preparation finally kicked off in the middle of the pandemic on 19 April 2021. The Super League was the brainchild of the current President Jaswar Umar.

Summary

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic

The start of the season was impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 situation. After the 2018–19 season, the inaugural Super League was scheduled to kick-off in April 2020,[1] but was rescheduled to November 2020,[1] 29 January 2021[2] and finally started on 19 April 2021,[3] due to concerns of the pandemic with discussions held with the health authorities.[4]

Due pandemic, this season was forced to play on a single round-robin system (each club plays the others once).

After the International Break at the end of matchday 3, the tournament recommencement was scheduled to 2 July 2021. But the Football Sri Lanka announced the postponement on 16 June 2021, due to travel restrictions.[5]

Pre-season tournament

After numerous delays, and conflict on basing the National Team Priorities of Technical Head Amir Alagic, clubs were asked if they could play a Premier Season Practice Tournament. Causing further delays to the actual tournament. A pre season was launched with much glamour and delight but unfortunately with Covid 19 being a constant outbreak, the tournament delayed further. Since the Sri Lanka national football team were set to play their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying second round games against Lebanon and South Korea in March, Football Sri Lanka without any professional consultation conducted Sri Lanka Super League pre-season tournament, without spectators or a plan.[2][6]

Super League pre-season tournament was conducted with the 10 Super League clubs, divided to two groups, group stage matches held from 17 February 2021 to 24 March 2021.[7]

Teams

The league is made up of 10 clubs that were selected from the Sri Lanka Champions League at the end of the 2018–19 season, after meeting the Football Federation of Sri Lanka's Club Licensing Criteria in association with the Asian Football Confederation.[4]

Teams and their divisions

Note: Table lists clubs in alphabetical order.
Team Division
Blue Eagles Kelaniya
Blue Star Sports Club Kalutara
Colombo Football Club Colombo
Defenders Football Club Homagama
Navy Sea Hawks FC Welisara
New Young's Sports Club Wennappuwa
Ratnam Sports Club Kotahena
Red Stars Sports Club Aluthgama
Renown Sports Club Kotahena
Up Country Lions Sports Club Nawalapitiya

Foreign players

Team Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5
Blue Eagles
Blue Star SC Nigeria Jerry Arepade Ombenbe Guinea Mohamed Traoré
Colombo FC Ivory Coast Jean Yapo Seka Cameroon Bodric Tagne Nigeria Olumide Akofe
Defenders FC Pakistan Muhammad Adil Cameroon Stephane Dang
Sea Hawks FC Japan Motohiro Kaneshiro Japan Chikara Tashiro Ghana Samuel Kingston
New Young's SC
Ratnam SC Ghana Enoch Danso Nigeria Jide Jimoh
Red Star SC Nigeria Ismaila Abumere Ogudugu Nigeria Muritala Oladeni Qatar Mohammed Mubarak Nigeria Emmanuel Godwin
Renown SC Nigeria Michael Job Nigeria Olumide Agbeti
Up Country Lions SC Uganda George Abege Kyrgyzstan Elijah Ari Liberia Martin Karndu Liberia Eugene Swen

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Blue Star (C, Q) 9 7 1 1 21 9 +12 22 Qualification for AFC Cup preliminary round 1
2 Sea Hawks 9 6 1 2 16 11 +5 19[a]
3 Colombo 9 6 1 2 22 11 +11 19[a]
4 Renown 9 5 2 2 10 7 +3 17
5 Up Country Lions 9 5 1 3 17 8 +9 16
6 Red Stars 9 2 4 3 18 16 +2 10
7 Defenders 9 2 4 3 12 12 0 10
8 New Young's 9 2 1 6 13 31 −18 7
9 Ratnam 9 0 3 6 5 16 −11 3
10 Blue Eagles 9 0 2 7 3 16 −13 2
Source: RSSSF
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Sea Hawks 3, Colombo 0.

Results

Fixture

Teams BEG BST CFC DFC SHW NYS RAT RST REN UCL
Blue Eagles 3–2 0–2 0–0 0–1 1–2 0–0 0–6 0–1 0–1
Blue Star 1–0 3–1 3–0 4–1 3–0 2–4 0–0 2–1
Colombo 3–1 2–3 4–0 4–1 2–2 2–1 3–2
Defenders 2–2 6–1 2–1 0–0 0–0 0–2
Sea Hawks 5–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 1–0
New Young's 3–1 4–4 1–2 1–4
Ratnam 0–0 1–2 1–1
Red Stars 1–3 0–3
Renown 1–0
Up Country Lions
Source: RSSSF
Legend: Blue = left column team win; Yellow = draw; Red = top row team win.

Round 1

19 April 2021 Colombo 4–0 New Young's
14:00 Dilshan 15', 85'
Zarwan 57' (pen.)
Seka 79'
19 April 2021 Blue Star 2–4 Red Stars
16:00 Arepade 40'
Shifan 55'		 Rahman 3', 35', 74'
Ogudugu 9'
20 April 2021 Renown 0–0 Defenders
13:00
21 April 2021 Ratnam 1–1 Up Country Lions
16:00 Jimoh 59' Akhil 77'
21 April 2021 Blue Eagles 0–1 Sea Hawks
16:00 Hasmeer 11'

Round 2

23 April 2021 Blue Star 1–0 Colombo
16:00 Sandesh Pingo 6'
24 April 2021 Defenders 0–0 Blue Eagles
13:00
24 April 2021 Renown 0–2 Sea Hawks
16:00 Hasmeer 27'
Shaeel 81'
25 April 2021 Red Stars 0–0 Ratnam
13:00
25 April 2021 New Young's 1–4 Up Country Lions
16:00 Nithushan 23' W.Razeek 19', 65', 83'
Sujan Perera 90+3'

Round 3

30 April 2021 Sea Hawks 5–0 New Young's
16:00 Hasmeer 28', 55'
Kaneshiro 31', 44', 74'
1 May 2021 Blue Star 3–0 Ratnam
13:00 Irshan 12'
Arshad 13'
Sandesh Pingho 36'
1 May 2021 Blue Eagles 0–6 Red Stars
16:00 Farhan 9'
Rislan 19'
Dilakshan 22'
Ogudugu 59', 67', 76'
2 May 2021 Colombo 2–1 Renown
16:00 Zarwan 34'
Seka 50'		 Aman 42'
29 November 2021 Up Country Lions 2–0 Defenders
11:00 Abege 28'
Asmil 89'

Round 4

5 December 2021 Colombo 2–2 Red Stars
11:00 Zarwan 69'
Shazny 90+5'		 Rahman 59', 67'
6 December 2021 Renown 0–0 Blue Star
11:00
6 December 2021 Sea Hawks 1–0 Up Country Lions
15:00 Musthaq 90+3'
7 December 2021 Ratnam 1–2 Defenders
11:00 Hakeem 76' (pen.) Jayathunga 41'
Mohamed 47' (pen.)
7 December 2021 Blue Eagles 1–2 New Young's
15:00 L.Fernando 86' Sanjeewa 39'
Rumesh 53'

Round 5

10 December 2021 Blue Eagles 0–1 Renown
11:00 Kurukulasuriyage 74'
11 December 2021 Sea Hawks 2–2 Defenders
11:00 D.Madushan 26'
S.Madushan 30'		 Chameera 68'
Mohamed 73'
11 December 2021 Ratnam 1–4 Colombo
15:00 Hakeem 84' (pen.) Dilshan 27', 39', 55'
Aakib 65'
12 December 2021 New Young's 4–4 Red Stars
11:00 Sanjeewa 19', 47', 53'
Nitharshan 68'		 Dananjaya 6'
Ogudugu 24'
Rihad 28'
Rahman 45+4'
12 December 2021 Up Country Lions 1–2 Blue Star
15:00 Sujan Perera 71' (pen.) Arepade 43'
Sandesh Pingho 53'

Round 6

15 December 2021 Defenders 1–3 Colombo
11:00 Mohamed 58' (pen.) Aakib 8', 46', 79'
16 December 2021 New Young's 3–1 Ratnam
11:00 Danushka 35'
Dananjaya 79'
Nikila 81'		 Enoch 41'
16 December 2021 Blue Star 3–0 Sea Hawks
15:00 Arepade 14' (pen.)
Sandesh Pingho 71', 88' (pen.)
17 December 2021 Red Stars 1–3 Renown
11:00 Rahman 35' (pen.) Kurukulasuriyage 16'
Aman 54'
Iqbal 90+2'
17 December 2021 Up Country Lions 1–0 Blue Eagles
15:00 Shifan 90+5'

Round 7

28 December 2021 Sea Hawks 2–1 Red Stars
11:00 Kaneshiro 45+4'
D.Madushan 90+5'		 Rahman 15'
29 December 2021 Up Country Lions 2–3 Colombo
11:00 Nitharshan 20', 63' Aakib 30', 90+6'
Tagne 90+5'
29 December 2021 New Young's 1–2 Renown
15:00 Agbeti 78' (o.g.) Supan 53'
D.Madushan 57'
30 December 2021 Defenders 1–3 Blue Star
11:00 Jayasekara 43' Arepade 37'
Sandesh Pingho 73', 84'
30 December 2021 Blue Eagles 0–0 Ratnam
15:00

Round 8

7 January 2022 Red Stars 0–0 Defenders
15:00
7 January 2022 Ratnam 0–1 Sea Hawks
11:00 S.Madushan 58'
7 January 2022 Renown 1–0 Up Country Lions
11:00 Job 45+2'
7 January 2022 Blue Star 4–1 New Young's
15:00 Sandesh Pingho 52', 56', 83'
Arshad 90'		 Mushikhan 21'
7 January 2022 Colombo 2–0 Blue Eagles
15:00 Seka 24'
Aakib 78'

Round 9

10 January 2022 Renown 2–1 Ratnam
11:00 Priyadarshana 31'
Job 74'		 Enoch 52'
10 January 2022 Defenders 6–1 New Young's
11:00 Izzadeen 27', 64', 85'
M.Fernando 45+2' (o.g.)
Mohamed 84', 89'		 Mushikhan 22'
10 January 2022 Red Stars 0–3 Up Country Lions
15:00 W.Razeek 1', 51', 59' (pen.)
11 January 2022 Colombo 2–3 Sea Hawks
15:30 Aakib 14'
Seka 87'		 S.Madushan 36'
Hasmeer 65'
K.Ishan 75'
11 January 2022 Blue Star 3–2 Blue Eagles
15:30 Fazal 11'
Arshad 14'
M.Ishan 83'		 L.Fernando 15'
Malshan 36'

Top goalscorers

Player Club Goals
Sri Lanka Senal Sandesh Pingho Blue Star SC 10
Sri Lanka Mohamed Rahman Red Star SC 8
Sri Lanka Mohamed Aakib Colombo FC 8
Sri Lanka Ahmed Waseem Razeek Up Country Lions SC 6
Sri Lanka Chamod Dilshan Colombo FC 5
Nigeria Ismaila Abumere Ogudugu Red Star SC 5
Sri Lanka Rifkhan Mohamed Defenders FC 5
Sri Lanka Mohamed Hasmeer Sea Hawks FC 5
Sri Lanka Zohar Mohamed Zarwan Colombo FC 4
Sri Lanka Chathuranga Sanjeewa New Young's SC 4
Japan Motohiro Kaneshiro Sea Hawks FC 4
Nigeria Jerry Arepade Ombenbe Blue Star SC 4
Ivory Coast Jean Yapo Seka Colombo FC 4

Own goals

Player Club Own Goals Against
Nigeria Olumide Agbeti Renown SC 1 New Young's SC
Sri Lanka Madushanka Fernando New Young's SC 1 Defenders FC

Clean sheets

Player Club Clean Sheet
Sri Lanka Udayanga Perera Sea Hawks FC 4
Sri Lanka Supun Kaveesh Blue Star SC 4
Sri Lanka Rasik Rishad Renown SC 4
Qatar Mohammed Mubarak Red Star SC 3
Sri Lanka Weerasinghe Sujan Perera Up Country Lions SC 3
Sri Lanka Nuwan Gimhana Colombo FC 2

Champions

Team Location Stadium Capacity
Blue Star SC Kalutara Kalutara Stadium 15,000

References

  1. ^ a b ‘Super League’ – Sri Lanka’s first Professional Football League to begin in November at Daily News Lanka. date:2 July 2020
  2. ^ a b Lanka Super League to begin with pre-season tournament at Daily Mirror Lanka. date: 20 January 2021
  3. ^ Football Super League kicks off tomorrow at Sunday Observer Lanka. date:18 April 2021
  4. ^ a b Sri Lanka Super League set for November lift off at AFC. date: 2 July 2020
  5. ^ Super League Postponement at Football Sri Lanka. date: 16 June 2021
  6. ^ Football Super League kicks off to transform Sri Lanka at Sunday Observer Lanka. date: 4 April 2021
  7. ^ Super League pre-season tournament group stage schedule at Football Sri Lanka (Facebook). date: 12 February 2021
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