Another chance for Nepali footballers to prove themselves

The national football team of Nepal gets yet another big opportunity to break a   20 year old jinx that   has    got them bogged down into   mediocrity.

There is desperateness in the atmosphere and irredeemably   frantic   desire to succeed on part of the team.

Anguished and frustrated fans have waited far too long to see   their   side   corner the elusive glory. How long more do   they have to wait? The answer is pretty simple. Just wait and see.

Since the gold   winning performance in the South Asian Federation Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1993, Nepal has gone sans a championship success to date, a fact I have always reminded and keep reminding   football goers.  

On the eve of the South Asian Federation Football Championship (SAFFC), obviously, there is a common question   on everyone’s mind “Will Nepal  be able to end its international tournament drought?”

Nobody has a clue or a definitive answer.  One can draw his or her own conclusion and   just hope for the best result.  However, the fact remains, that we have a   national team that is    consistently underachieving in international tournaments

The   longest losing streak   in Nepali football history can be attributed to a number of   factors   which include lack of proper and timely preparation, coupled with inefficiency of All Nepal Football Association. (ANFA), to say the least.

All in all, Team Nepal’s performance   has been plagued by   players’   fragile state of mind,    inconsistency,  inability to score goals, fitness problem, and failure to close out crunch matches and cash in on home field advantage.

Only for the second time in two decades, the   senior team recently embarked on a three- week trip to Bahrain and Kuwait as part of the preparations for the SAFFC. ANFA appears to have   done something sensible at last.

The 0-3   defeat in the first friendly   against the Bahrain Under-23 team   is certainly an eye opener and a concern, as well.  

The coach is    fully   aware that   he and his boys have plenty of work to do, technically, tactically, physically and psychologically. They have less than three weeks to sort things out.

I am pretty sure Coach Stefanowski   will   rely on a   squad that is packed with experience. Although a few new faces   have been   added to the roaster, he is most likely to go with the same players who have played for several years.

The coach is under pressure to find the right combination to win and hopes to find consistency the team has lacked for years.

Looking at the upcoming SAFFC draw the hosts are in a very intriguing and tough group. They are pitted against India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Given the history of bad blood, rivalry, intensity between   these four teams, every match in this group is headed to a thrilling climax. It is a wide open group, and I expect the matches to be very even and hotly contested.

In recent   years our footballers have enjoyed very little success against the three opponents. They did held defending champions India to a draw in the Nehru Cup  in New Delhi, India. That was the last time the two teams   clashed.

However,   early this year   they lost to Bangladesh at home in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers and Pakistan in a friendly.   Without a doubt, stakes are high for the hosts   to get the much needed break through success.

If Nepal wants to avoid another heart break, there is absolutely no room for complacency and mediocrity. They have to give stellar performance, play consistent football and convert scoring opportunities to stand a chance.

Apparently, enormous pressure will be on Team Nepal to deliver the desired result, the nation has been waiting for. I truly hope that they   remain calm, composed, and confident   and rise to the occasion.

Can Nepal beat the odds? A huge challenge, but doable in my opinion. This is one more chance for our footballers to prove themselves.

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