"He has sent a letter of demand asking for $5 million," board secretary Mohan de Silva told AFP. Details were not immediately available, but the Sunday Island newspaper said Hathurusingha had sought his full salary for the remaining 18 months of his contract which amounted to just over a million dollars.

He has also claimed that his reputation as an international coach suffered as a result of what he called the wrongful termination. His claim of $5 million includes damages as well as the wages he says are due to him.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2020