ANFA election outcome is defeat for Nepali football

Vice-President of All Nepal Football Association Karma Tsering Sherpa’s unsuccessful bid for football body's top position is a slap in the face for footballers and fans across the country.

It is another sad day for Nepali football. With so much uncertainty surrounding the future direction of football  and All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) at a crossroads,  football needed  to sail in new direction under new leadership,however, the outcome of the election  has put an end to all such hopes for now.

After all is said and done,  Mr. Narendra Shrestha , a proxy for disgraced ex ANFA Chief Ganesh Thapa emerged victorious,much to my chagrin. Contrary to expectations, although he managed to squeak past his opponent  at the end but  did not  surprise me one bit.

The fact of the matter is, sans Mr.Thapa’s  support and backing  Mr. Shrestha had no chance of winning the  election.  

No one disputes the fact  that  Mr.Thapa was the major force behind  Mr.Shrestha’s electoral success. With so much at stake,  he  was determined to get his candidates win the election by hook or by  crook.

Mr.Thapa’s thirst for vengeance against Mr.Sherpa, the man  largely responsible for his  humiliating, disgraceful ouster from ANFA, was hell bent on doing whatever it took for him to foil his presidential aspirations.

And to top it off ,  Mr. Mani Kunwar, brother in law of Mr.Thapa won the Vice President election.

Mr. Thapa wanted to prove that he is far from finished and still wields tremendous influence  in ANFA. Ultimately, he accomplished his mission with the help of his legion of cronies who voted for  Mr. Shrestha and Mr. Kunwar.

It is no exaggeration to say that  Mr. Thapa and company sought to coerce votes and  enticed voters  with money. To add, also it is fair to say that  money played an important role to tilt the election in Mr.Shrestha’s favour.

Now that Mr.Shrestha is  at the  helm of ANFA for one and half years, the larger question is, what can we expect from him ? Don’t  expect much change . Personally, I expect nothing  to change under his leadership in terms of governance, management and policies.

Mr.Shrestha’s position as a relatively weak leader ,overshadowed by Mr. Thapa is no secret.  I see him bringing more gloom, doom to football . I carry this negative, pessimistic view of Mr. Shrestha because he is most likely to be under Mr.Thapa’s domain and control.

We have seen  what  he is capable of . Long as he remains a puppet of  Mr.Thapa, I fear the landscape of  Nepali football will remain unchanged.

Let us wait and see. The one and half years of Mr.Shrestha’s leadership would determine whether I am right or wrong.

We have  squandered  whatever window of opportunity might have existed to  bring about changes  in ANFA,turn things around   and get back football development on track.

Nothing can be more frustrating, agonizing than missed chances and betrayal by those  casting votes.

The election success of Mr. Shrestha and Mr. Kunwar has clearly undermined the entire football community’s  desire for change.

Those responsible for electing the duo have done a great disservice and further damage to football. They are shameless, lack moral accountability and honesty whatsoever.

It is crystal clear that they have no intent to work for the all round development of football, and they share the blame for the sorry state of  football and plights of footballers in the country.

They have proven to be nothing but useless , corrupt,incompetent and self-centered dummies who have been driven by greed and opportunism.They deserve  to be kicked out of office.

On the other hand,”Save Nepal Football “ group must overcome election reversal and not get bogged down. The real  big deal is the upcoming ANFA election due in one and half years.

Keeping that in mind,they must carry their campaign forward effectively with more meaning,intensity and conviction. In the meantime , they have to take the role of a true watchdog on ANFA.