Football fans’ frustration, anger, concern palpable

At the moment, die-hard football fans have no reason to get excited, or feel euphoric or cheer about Nepali football. So little has changed. Our standard has plummeted to a new low    and   the teams’ slip into mediocrity continues unabated.

 

There are no positive signs that Nepali football might be headed in the right direction or slowly making a comeback. As a result, we have lost considerable grounds in international football.

 

There is enough evidence that    things are getting worse by the day. In the latest FIFA World rankings, Nepal is ranked 183^rd,barely ahead of lowly Bhutan.

 

Prior to this, we were ranked. 166^th. Evidently   this is a   significant drop and does not bode well for the future of Nepali football.  Without a doubt, we have     further fallen behind and left with a lot of catching up to do.

 

The recent defeat of the national team, Under-16, Under-14 and Manang Marsyangdhi Club has added fuel to the fire and is emblematic of a system in disarray.

 

Despite defeat, the Under-16 ‘s performance at the U-16 AFC qualifiers is the only silver lining for Nepali football. Admittedly the team prepared well for the tournament and   put on an inspiring show.

 

At the end of the day, it came down to physicality, stamina, endurance, which our youngsters lacked. The depth of raw talent in the team is incredible.More important, we have to nurture them in a professional, healthy  & competitive environment to ensure their talent does not go to waste as they approach the transitional phase.

 

The senior national team’s appearance at the Asian Games in South Korea was short lived. Predictably, they   went down effortlessly   against Iraq 0-4, Kuwait 0-5 & Japan 0-4.In retrospect everyone saw this coming, and the boys went as far as could be expected. It was pretty much as expected, with no surprises whatsoever.

 

To sum up the foregoing, Nepal lost to technically superior opponents who were better trained, prepared, stronger and fitter, both mentally and physically.As such, given the circumstance there is no reason for the team to perform well in major international tournaments. 

 

That said, they   could have put on a much better performance only had they undertaken   extensive and serious preparation for the tournament.My point   is, at least, they could have been in a position to play to their potential and given opponents a run for their money.It did not happen.  As part of the preparation, they played   two tune -up matches against lowly Under23- Bangladesh and   briefly trained at home.

 

As always, players are blamed and made scapegoats for the poor performance and result.  Obviously, they are willing to accept the blame but not risk antagonizing the football body.

 

Furthermore, unfortunately, some of the senior players have sold themselves to All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and become their spokespersons, thus setting a bad precedent.The idea of participating in international tournaments is   to provide players   the much-needed exposure and make their outing meaningful.

 

Then we have the national coach Jack Stefanowski not doing what he supposed to. He has become a huge disappointment in terms of delivering the goods and meeting expectations. He lacks the fire in his belly.  

 

I understand it is very challenging for any foreigner to take up coaching assignment in a country like ours that has limited resources, infrastructure facilities, coupled with an interfering, bureaucratic football body.

 

I am totally confused over   his role and responsibilities.  I really don’t know what I should write about him.In my opinion he has simply become another yes man for ANFA. He is lacking leadership qualities like, assertiveness, aggression, courage, especially while dealing with the football association.

 

I have two simple questions for the coach in regards to the Asian Games. Did you have a plan of action for the competition?  Did you have training, preparation recommendations?The mounting pessimism, frustration, anger and concern on the street are palpable. 

 

Mr.Thapa’s casual attitude, approach only compounds the problem.  All in all, his policies have wrecked havoc upon Nepali football.It is ironic that he thinks the other way around and   shamelessly rebuffs the idea that football is languishing.

 

He brushes off cynics’ criticism as unfair, outright lie and   maintains that this is nothing but an attempt to discredit him.He refuses   to acknowledge the fact that   very little progress has been made and football has remained stagnant in terms of development.

 

He does not need to be reminded about his responsibilities and duties. Only if he was/is honest and true to his words, he could have   carried out his vision (if he had/has any) to a certain extent.

 

By now Nepali football could have largely benefitted and been somewhat better off. Sadly, it has not happened yet.  We have   already crossed the no return line under his leadership in twenty plus years.

 

As a matter of fact, Mr. Thapa has no willingness to accept constructive criticism and act upon it .To put it bluntly, he is a cocktail of arrogance,ignorance and incompetence.

 

As the adage goes,” A smart man learns from his mistakes”. The question is:  Will Mr. Thapa ever learn from his mistakes and failures of the past? I maybe wrong but I doubt it.

 

What is happening at ANFA is a colossal failure of   leadership, poor governance, corruption, coupled with lack of accountability and transparency. The President can say what he wants, but the truth is Nepali football has not made any substantial progress

 

Now that Mr. Thapa is a member of the Constitute   Assembly, he is bound to further solidify his power base and will try to quash alleged corruption charges leveled against him.

 

I don’t care whether he becomes the minister or whatever. Good for him. As long as he fulfills his duties and as long as he meets our expectations, I will be more than happy and whole-heartedly support him.