A misleading social media post regarding the Head Coach Position of Mr Sanath Jayasuriya

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A social media post was circulated stating that Sanath Jayasuriya, the head coach of the Sri Lankan National Cricket Team, has rejected the contract offered by Sri Lanka Cricket and has requested a salary increase. Here is a fact-check we did regarding it.

Social Media Posts :

A post was circulated on social media stating, “Jayasuriya says his salary is not enough.”

The post further stated as follows.

“Sri Lanka Cricket Coaching position is in crisis, as Sanath Jayasuriya has rejected the contract offered to him by the Sri Lanka Cricket.

He has requested a salary of $25,000 to be paid rejecting the initial offer of $15,000 proposed by the Cricker board per month.

Accordingly, he has rejected an amount of over 45 lakhs per month, while internal sources within the cricket organization state that he has demanded a minimum of 75 lakhs…

In addition, he has been paid about 5 million rupees for his consultancy position so far, and according to the Sri Lanka Cricket, he has recieved more that one crore of rupees per month, along with the salary as the Coach. Therefore, the Sri Lanka Cricket has asked Sanath Jayasuriya to reconsider the monthly salary of $15,000.

However, Sanath Jayasuriya had previously said that he was ready to make any sacrifice he could.”

Facebook | Archived Link

This post was shared multiple times through Facebook.

Based on reader requests to verify the accuracy of this, we took steps to conduct a fact-check on this matter.

Fact Check :

As indicated in the circulated social media post, none of the mainstream media outlet reported on his salary demand of a Rs. 75 lakhs per month.

These notes stated that Sanath Jayasuriya had rejected the contract offered to him by Sri Lanka Cricket.

Sri Lanka Cricket announced the appointment of Sanath Jayasuriya as the head coach of the Sri Lanka Cricket (Men’s) team for a period of one and a half years, following the termination of the contract of former permanent coach Chris Sliverwood of the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team. Accordingly, the media reported that his term was effective from October 1, 2024 and will be valid until March 31, 2026. However, as the contract is still valid, there is a question whether steps have been taken to renew the contract.

Furthermore, the Sri Lanka Cricket published a media announcement at that time, stating that Mr Sanath Jayasuriya resigned from his position as a consultant to the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, with the appointment of the head coach. You can refer to the media release from here. Archived Link.

However, according to the social media post, Jayasuriya has been paid a monthly salary of around 5 million ruppes for the position of a consultant. Along with the salary as the head coach, the Cricket Board pays him around 10 million rupees per month.

Due to this, we contacted Sri Lanka Cricket and Mr Sanath Jayasuriya by phone to inquire about this.

Sri Lanka Cricket

We asked Sri Lanka Cricket’s Media Manager Prasanna Rodrigo whether the salary crisis circulating on social media regarding Sanath Jayasuriya is true.

He said that the information being shared are false. Since, Sanath Jayasuriya’s contract is still valid, the social media claims that he was offered a new contract is false, and is published without confirmation. He confirmed that, Sri Lanka Cricket does not accept responsibility for information published on social media, expect for the new they officially announce.

Sanath Jayasuriya

When contacted, Sri  Lanka Cricket Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya stated that the social media post is false, and that no discussion had been held with Sri Lanka Cricket regarding his salary increase. He also stated that the Sri Lankan Cricket Team does not have a consulting position, and that he does not receive two salaries. Furthermore, he stated that as false news are being spread regarding him from time to time, he plans to take legal actions regarding it.

He had also mentioned the rumors circulating about him on his official Facebook page as follows.

Archived Link

Conclusion

Based on our fact-check investigation, the social media posts claiming that Sanath Jayasuriya rejected a contract offer from Sri Lanka Cricket and demanded a salary increase from $15,000 to $25,000 per month are misleading. Both Sri Lanka Cricket’s Media Manager and Sanath Jayasuriya himself confirmed that these claims are false, stating that his contract remains valid until March 31, 2026, and no salary negotiations have taken place. Additionally, the claim that he receives two salaries (one as a consultant and one as head coach) is incorrect, as he resigned from his consultancy position when appointed as head coach in October 2024.

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