More humiliation, embarrassment for Nepal Football

Close on the heels of the match-fixing scam, Nepal football has been hit by yet another shameful and disgraceful age fraud case.

The Nepal Under-16 team, which successfully competed at the recently concluded Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-16 Championship Qualifiers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, has been disqualified from the final round of the competition scheduled in India next year.

The AFC has nullified the results and disqualified Team Nepal for fielding over-aged player/players. Also the team has been slapped with a hefty $14,500 fine.

At a time when we are mightily struggling to come to grips with the match-fixing scandal, the over- age fiasco has added fuel to the fire, and once again exposed the utter incompetence of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).

Who is responsible? My question is very simple and straightforward.  There is no question that ANFA under the most corrupt, dysfunctional leadership of Mr. Ganesh Thapa is solely responsible for the incident. 

By the way, this is not first time Nepal has been caught for age cheating. It happened last year.

No doubt, Mr.Thapa is like a drunken elephant out of control. He does not give a darn. No one can stop him and nothing can stop him, not even our toothless government that seriously lacks foresight to deal with the football crisis.

Does it get any worse than this?  I am afraid it will, long as Mr.Thapa and his band of lackeys rule the roost.

What infuriates me the most is that ANFA leadership and officials never takes responsibilities for their actions. Instead they shamelessly blame others, including players for their misdeeds and wrongdoings.

Just when you thought, ANFA cannot get any more pathetic, the over-age incident comes along. 

So far we heard three unashamed defenders of ANFA, CEO of ANFA Indra Man Tuladhar, team doctor Raju Dangol and Coach Upendra Man Singh shed light on the matter.

They clearly refrained from taking direct responsibility and engaged in blame game, as expected. It is easy to blame others, rather than dodge accountability, which is absurd and lamentable.

Not too long ago in the 2014 AFC Under-16 championship in Thailand, ANFA was guilty of fielding over-aged players against North Korea and Uzbekistan. AFC then fined the team $2000

Here we are with another case of age fraud, the second one in less than two years, thus further tarnishing the name of the country.

This incident proves ANFA was/is not serious about enforcing rules and did not take corrective and preventive system to ensure that similar mistakes are not repeated.

Mr. Dangol,’s (team doctor) clarification that they lacked the equipment to show proper DEXA (Bone Densitometry) is ridiculous and a lame excuse.

It makes no sense at all. No rational person will buy your lie, especially after the damage has been done. Don’t you agree that extra steps should have been taken to get the proper DEXA regardless of the situation?

Mr. Dangol, are you trying to save yourself or defend ANFA?  The country has been through this humiliation before? Did you inform ANFA about it?  Remember, you work for the country not the tyrant Mr. Thapa,

In the role of Team doctor, you have huge responsibilities, and I am sorry to say you have failed terribly.

Coach Singh has shamed and let himself down by holding players and parents accountable for the over-age   episode.

Coach Singh you are obligated to defend your players and hold the guilty party responsible, in this case, ANFA.  I know you are really hand in glove with Mr. Thapa.

As such you have no intentions to criticize ANFA because you want to be in Mr. Thapa ‘s good books for personal interests. You are making a big mistake. 

A talented coach like you should rise above petty interests and not rally around the most corrupt ANFA leadership. Forget not, you are doing yourself and Nepali football a great disservice.

I have nothing much to say about the so-called CEO Tuladhar. He is Mr.Thapa’s surrogate and speaks what he is supposed to make his boss happy.

As for Mr.Thapa, he is hiding behind the skirt at the moment. We have not heard a word from him about the match-fixing and over-age incident. What a shame? I ask you, is this leadership?

What next for Nepal football. I guess more doom and gloom.