mysportsmysports

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