ANFA culpable for Nehru debacle

After pondering a while, I was inclined to use the term “disastrous” to sum up Nepal’s Nehru Cup debut.   No one disputes the fact   that   it was   another below par performance by Coach Krishna Thapa and his boys.

Nepal   concluded the competition with three   agonizing defeats and a draw, finishing at the bottom of the table. This does   not   surprise me one bit. I saw this coming.

Thanks to live streaming internet TV, I was able to watch the spectacle from the confines of my couch.  I was so thrilled and excited   to see Nepal in action.Sadly, I was left to   watch   my   side go down in flames.

Let   me be outright and honest, it was an uninspiring and sluggish performance by Nepal.  Like most fans, I had   no choice, but to accept   my disillusionment and live with it.

Evidently, Nepal’s slump continues unabated, a slump that has seen the team stumble from World Cup qualifiers to Nehru Cup in the last two years.   

Team Nepal’s latest debacle has raised pointed questions, and we need to seek answers from a defiant All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).

Speaking   of Nehru Cup, the questions   that come to my mind are: What   really went   wrong with Nepal?  Why did they play so poorly?  Certainly, those who watched the team already know the answers.

ANFA’s wrong decision

The decision by ANFA) to participate in the Nehru Cup was a blunder. They knew the team was not ready for the competition, however, they thought otherwise.

Don’t get me wrong. The importance of an international tournament is immense, even more so, for a country like Nepal. But it has to be done in the right   and orderly   way.  Common sense tells   us   that   preparation   for a competition  requires  proper training and  practice.

To me it   was   inconceivable to push the team into something   for   which it was not ready for.  This reminds   me of the   quote,”Success is measured by what we have done to prepare for competition”.

ANFA   does not care a hoot about   players’   humiliation and   fans frustration. Nor will they   ever admit their mistakes. To be blunt, more than anything else, they are out to   advance their own interests and goals.

Under Prepared

Without a shred of doubt, the squad   for the Nehru Cup was   the most ill-prepared for a major competition.   Coach Thapa admitted that his team was under prepared for the challenge. With   teams like Cameroon and Syria in the mix, Nepal had virtually no chance. A   decent preparation could have helped   the Nepali outfit fare much better.

Let us remind ourselves that Nepal’s   impressive showing at the 2011 SAFF Championship was the result of a good preparation and hard work.

A majority of players were in off season slumber and had to be hastily summoned for the close camp that barely lasted two weeks.  To add insult to injury, the team   had to play warm-up matches against local outfits.

Physical fitness a question mark

The fitness level of players   raised many eyebrows.  Their overall physical conditioning left much to be desired, and it was reflected in their performance. The irony   here is that nobody seems to care about it. I feel terrible sorry for them.

Home grown coach vs. Foreign coach

Coach Krishna Thapa has been   criticized for his   leadership, selection of players, ploys and strategies following   the Nehru Cup fiasco. He fell well short of the expectation, and he could have done a much better job, despite his difficult circumstances.

No doubt we have to put faith in homegrown coaches   and   promote them at the same time. That being said, there is, however, need for foreign coaches. 

I say this because indigenous   coaches   are to a great extent   dictated by ANFA, and they have a reduced role. They   have no direct   say   in   important issues ranging from team selection to preparation.

They    are fully aware that   challenging ANFA means   jeopardizing their career. I don’t blame them. On the other hand, a foreign coach can better serve the needs of the team.

They can be more authoritative, forthright and influential. Most importantly, they can stand up for the team’s interest against the football body. Coach Graham   Roberts is an example.  There   is a clamor for foreign coaches, lately.

Failure to groom players

There has been no serious attempt to bring in new and young   talents (especially in the attack) into the national team.