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The   recently   concluded   9 th edition of the South Asian Federation   Football   Championship in New Delhi, India   was Nepal’s   last international outing of 2011. 2011 in retrospect, was   this   a   good or bad year for Nepali football?   Whether   you agree or not, it was an unproductive, frustrating and ordinary year.  I wish it was just the opposite. Speaking of international engagements, the national team   had   a   busy   schedule year around. They participated   in   three   major   tournaments   and achieved some degree of success. Also   the team   undertook   a   four- nation Asian tour as part of preparation for the SAFF Championship. British coach Graham Roberts   who took over the national team in   January 2011 had mixed results and faces big challenges ahead. The 2014 World Cup Qualifiers to start with. Of the four matches three took place in Nepal, and   our first round   double header kicked off against lowly East Timor. We chalked   up   two contrasting w

India’s domination of the South Asian Football Federation Championship was unchallenged in the recently   held edition in   New Delhi, India. In an anti-climax final they   prevailed   over a defiant Afghanistan 4-0. India made an unimpressive start but finished off   strong   in a competition that lacked genuine quality. The kind of football one witnessed is a grim reminder   to all of us that South Asian countries   have a lot of catching up to do with the rest of the world. The action can be   best   summed up   in one sentence:  it was mediocre,   listless   and   drab.  Most games were   played at a leisurely   pace and never rose to dizzy heights in terms of   excellence   and thrill. Evidently   every   team   struggled to find their rhythm, tempo   and   momentum, and   they never really got going. There was one common   denominator   ; however,   the teams were on an equal footing when it came to   approach, style and standards. Nothing   much separated the teams for most

A  brilliant solo run by Balal Arezoo who sprinted past three  defenders  broke the deadlock  in the 100 th minute of extra- time  to  put Afghanistan  in their first ever  final of the SAFF Championship in New Delhi, India. A rare defensive error   on our part sealed the deal for Afghanistan in a   grueling and pulsating 120 minutes of action.  The dependable defensive trio of    Sandip, Sagar and Rohit   were caught flat- footed and lacked the pace to prevent the   speedy Afghani from finding the net. The   defeat   ended   our dream   run, and our hope to end a 12 year championship drought is put on hold.  My heart goes out   to   the   youngsters.  I know how   much it hurts   to concede   a game of this magnitude that  we should have won. Coach Graham   Roberts and his boys’ desperateness    to thrive was   explicable from the onset of the competition.  Indisputably   , they   played   robust and attractive football to win the hearts   and   minds of   fans and pundits alike.

Nepal is locked in an intriguing semi-final duel against an impressive Afghanistan for a place in the final of the SAFF Championship in New Delhi, India. Afghanistan topped   Group A, following their 8-1 destruction of minnows Bhutan. While the other semi-final is between   host India and Maldives. Afghanistan’s 1-1 draw against India in the opener was considered a fluke by many in the football circle. However, they proved doubters wrong in their last two matches, which they won   rather convincingly.  So far   their performance has been the highlight of the championship. Considering Afghanistan’s uncertain state of the affairs, the kind of progress they have made   in sports like football and cricket is incredible.   In a short period of time   they have made their presence felt in a significant way. Withstanding   adverse   circumstances, Afghani   athletes    are engaged in competitive sports, nationally and internationally. Their resiliency, hard work and dedication   to   stri

O vercoming a spell of   jittery   moments Nepal hung on to an impressive   1-1 draw against Pakistan in the ongoing SAFF Championship in New Delhi. When the referee   blew the long whistle signaling the end of   the game, I was one happy camper. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that we were still in contention for   the   trophy that has eluded us so long. Prior to that   I   was   somewhat   edgy   and   chose   to keep my fingers crossed.  I did not want to take anything for granted.   A defeat was unthinkable   but based on how we have been playing I was optimistic for a good result. Having said that, I   was not ready to write   them off. All Pakistan   needed was a victory to upset our applecart.   To be fair that possibility could not be ruled out. Thankfully, they fell short of the target much to my joy. Hard to believe that   it took us twelve long   years to reach this stage of the championship. I expected   my   team   to play aggressively, which they did.  Otherwise,

Had it not been the spectacular last minute goal off   the   boot   of   skipper   Sagar Thapa   it would have been another disappointment for Nepal in the ongoing SAFF Championship in New Delhi. The perfect   long   ranger   literally curved into the right corner of the net to   earn   Nepal a well deserved   victory. Incredibly, a fantastic goal to remember for a long time. With this important win Nepal   finds   herself in the brink of qualifying to the last four. For the second   successive match Nepal dished out a dominant performance. The   boys   came out firing on all cylinders and   seemed   determined to carve out a victory. Not only   did   they   tackle the physically superior opponent   deftly   but gave them a run for their money all the way to the end. Speaking of Bangladesh, I expected a much better performance and thought they would come out strong against us. Once again   organized and confident play by the defense and mid-field contributed to our   fine performan

As a staunch supporter   I wanted Nepal to get off to a  dream start in the opener against fancied Maldives in the ongoing SAFF Championship in New Delhi, India.  I had my head scratching, following Sri Lanka’s opening goal at the fag end of the first half. Thanks to central defender Sandip’s   magnificent header in the    opening minutes of the second half we were able to restore parity. Although   the match concluded in a 1-1 draw, clearly, we should have prevailed considering the fact that we controlled the proceedings   from start to end. Without a doubt we were the better side in every department of the game and had the opponent frantically defend their citadel. The boys   played   aggressively   and spiritedly, and  they never  allowed  the   opponent to settle down. The defense   looked rock solid and held their ground. The mid-fielders   came up big, especially Bijay Gurung   who marshaled the moves   with clinical precision. Upcoming  Rabin Shrestha was another player  to

As the countdown for   the biennial South Asian Federation Football   Championship   begins, there is a palpable excitement in the air. Football   goers   across   South Asia are   waiting   with baited   breath for start   of the region’s biggest football    spectacle. Come   2 Dec, 2011 the ninth edition of the championship kicks- off at the gigantic Jawaharal Nehru stadium in New Delhi, India. Vying for the honor are   Afghanistan,   Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  The tournament that started in 1993   showcases   the cream of   South Asian football.   Over the years, we have witnessed    a   bevy of outstanding players emerge to become household names in the region, thanks to the championship. Host India often   referred   as the   sleeping   giant of world football   has   totally dominated the show, winning   five times (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005 and 2009).  Predictably, they are the front runner this time as well. Should they   triumph again

Of course it would have been    a    feat of sort     had   Nepal    lifted the SAARC Under- 25 Twenty-20 Cricket tournament held in Maldives. Sorry   for   being   hypothetical   here.  We all   know it did not happen, and a staunch supporter like me obviously felt and feels somewhat   disenchanted. I wish it was so true.  As a fan you want your team to win at all cost. I confess I did not feel totally embittered considering the fact that we went into the tournament  with  the  underdog status, and we were up  against  the three best  teams in  the game. That said, I will say though our boys had the opportunity to showcase their potential, which they did to some extent. However, it was not enough to earn   us what we   had hoped for. Never mind the end result. On the whole   the boys   put up a    gritty and   competitive   performance against opponents in the likes of India, Sri Lanka   and   Pakistan. In spite of the setback, signs   are   encouraging, nevertheless.  Given the

Once again  my conversation topic is football.  Right now   the national team’s three nation   tour    is   front and center.  The friendlies    were undertaken   to   prepare   the team for the   all important upcoming South Asian Football Federation   Championship in New Delhi, India. The national squad rounded off the trip with a solitary victory over Cambodia (1-0).Other than that it was another listless performance by our boys. They went down to Philippines 0-4 and 0-2 to Malaysia U-23.  Unfortunately   the last   leg   of   the   tour   was cancelled due to   flooding situation in Thailand. This is the first time in a very long spell All Nepal Football Association (ANFA)     embraced   a tournament   wholeheartedly    in terms of preparations.  I cannot recall the national teams    ever take    a   tour of this magnitude in the` last sixteen years prior to this. Probably    the tour was possible   largely on   Coach Roberts’ insistence.  Whatever   the circumstances, ANFA   

Not long ago there was     a whole lot of talk centered     on some of our leading national footballers. Speculation was rife about them playing in Europe, which   would have     been     a very important     landmark in the annals of Nepali sports. The news spread like wild fire largely because of massive coverage on part of both national print and electronic media. Local bloggers devoted to   sports     also had a field day and left no stone upturned. This obviously generated unprecedented     buzz, interest and excitement in the sport fraternity. The media frenzy     gave everyone the impression that it was going to happen.   I    don’t blame them because they were led to believe. As for the media they were     somewhat guilty of jumping    into the band wagon. The source of the news should have been authenticated before giving it full credence. Here I am talking about highly talented Rohit Chand who was in the spotlight. The youngster was tied to English and French clubs. The w

Nepal’s last place finish    in the recently concluded    AFC     U-16 Football     Championship     qualifier    in Kathmandu     does not auger     well    for Nepali     football. The    hugely     disappointing    result     put a damper on football     enthusiasts    who     had     rallied around the team. Home fans    dejection    was/is palpable. They have witnessed their team    take a beating one after another in the last six months. After the    national    team’s    mediocre     showing in the World Cup qualifier, high hopes pinned on Under-16 footballers.   Much to everyone’s    chagrin they failed to    live     up to their expectations in both SAFF and AFC tournaments.   In the SAFF championship they made a total hash of things despite heavily    favored    to    win.  The youngsters let stacks of chances    go begging because of their inability to finish off in style. The AFC tourney was a different ball game in terms of opposition quality. In Oman, Syria and Saudi A

To    acknowledge      and    honor     athletes’ excellence    is indispensable. It is a respectful way to salute and thank them for their    achievement    and outstanding contribution to the society and country. The recognition    is about their    relentless endeavor,    unending    commitment     and     selfless     sacrifice to glorify the nation through their sporting prowess. Also     it is an opportunity to amplify the importance of sports and    keep athletes’ morale high.   Celebrated sporting figures are role models and national heroes who are looked upon for motivation and inspiration by the     community     .   The greatest     irony, however, is that not    always     accolades come their way     though they      fully deserve. In a country like Nepal where sports is a non-priority for the government, athletes constantly find themselves in the face of uncertainty and    unpredictability. For the     most     part     they     are either ignored or shunned, and their

Eighteen years ago I vividly    remember running into    Baichung Bhutia, India’s most acclaimed and celebrated footballer of our time. Candidly speaking     never    in my wildest    dreams I imagined the sprightly and gifted youngster would    climb the heights of football greatness. The nimble- footed    footballer was    the    youngest    member    of    the    Sikkim outfit    that     was in town to participate in the Birthday Cup. With great interest   and curiosity    I   watched   the Tashi   Namgyal Academy     talent   fresh off   from his fantastic   Subroto   Cup debut where he was adjudged   player of the tournament . He     did not disappoint and     lived up to expectations.   He was a bundle of confidence and exhibited flair and poise in his performance. He had all the hallmarks of a great football player. Later I caught up with him. Like    most youngsters he was initially shy and hesitant to share his thoughts but ultimately opened his mouth. He echoed a strong