Team Nepal on the rise

The national football team of Nepal not only  lived up to its top billing but also cornered glory at the expense of Macau in the final of the inaugural AFC Solidarity Cup in Malaysia.

Indeed a spectacularly riveting success story that has captivated the imagination  of sports enthusiasts across the country.

I congratulate the boys and the coaching staff for the momentous  accomplishment.I take my hats off to you.You refused to give up and succeeded  in spite of some shortcomings.

No question , it was a well deserved triumph  stemmed from a concerted effort, hard work, commitment and passion.

With the first championship under his belt, Japanese Coach Koji Gyotoku could not have been more happy and asked for more. For now , at least, he can breathe a sigh of relief.

It is fair to say that Coach Gyotoku  and his assistants did all they could to prepare the team  for the Malaysian challenge despite problems, issues  facing Nepali football. They have done a   good job in their  roles.

Coach Gyotoku  is aware of the challenges he faces moving forward, nonetheless, I bet he is already looking ahead to more remarkable milestones regardless.

The Japanese has to thank his young talented band of footballers who did not let him down.Overcoming initial hiccups,they rose to the challenge when it mattered most,displaying grit, character,fighting spirit and appetite for success.

The narrow 1-0 win achieved by Nepal is not a true reflection of the game. The winners enjoyed territorial dominance and consistently churned  out  a strong performance throughout ninety plus minutes action under soggy conditions played to an empty gallery.

Unquestionably,Nepal dominated the final  offensively,however,  goal scoring lagged behind. The solitary goal off  Sujal Shrestha’s head in the first half  eventually proved the match winner at the end

For the most part, they  had the proceedings under control with short crisp pass, organized attacks from flanks and midfield.The defense did well to keep the off colored and listless opposition at bay.

The latest victory, once again, underlines the vast reservoir of football talent we have in the country.  Success was incredibly hard to come by for Team Nepal over the last two decades.

Amazingly it is a  very different story now.Defying odds, Nepal has surprised all with the way they have  been playing and winning. We can all agree  that the team is capable of more.

This year alone they have registered a string of championship titles. They remain red  hot  and  are currently riding  a nine or ten (correct me if I am wrong) game winning streak.

It all started with  the fantastic tournament winning  performance  in the  2016 Bangabandhu Gold Cup  held in Bangladesh.

Moreover, they proved that their victory was no fluke by winning  the   2016 South Asian Games  in Assam, India. They have added yet another trophy in the form of AFC Solidarity Cup to their kitty.  

Even in my wildest dream I never thought this youthful  side would do  so well to win tournaments one after another.

I did not quite expect that coming. The youngsters deserve every bit of applause they receive/received. They  are doing their very best to turn things around and have given fresh hope for the future of football.It is very important that we build on our success and take  football to the next level.

However, as the dust of  euphoria settles down,there is need to understand that the future direction  of Nepali football largely  lies in the hands of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). What the future holds is still uncertain.

It is no secret  that ANFA itself has been the biggest obstacle  to  football development. More than two decades of  rampant corruption, mismanagement and lack of accountability in disgraced  ex ANFA President  Ganesh Thapa’s  administration had far reaching devastating  effects on development of football.

There is no denying  that Nepali football was/is in a sorry state and had/has reached its lowest ebb. I understand pointing fingers is not the answer, but it is what it is.  

Now we have his surrogate Mr. Narendra Shrestha as the newly elected ANFA President. We know what he is capable of doing. We will  just have to wait and see what he does or will do.

That said, Mr.Shrestha has been given  another chance to prove his critics like me wrong. Also he has categorically denied being any one’s puppet ( Mr.Thapa). Time will tell whether he is or not .

What is true is  sans effective leadership, commitment to good governance, accountability,professionalism, integrity and transparency in ANFA  , a positive change in the football landscape is hard to imagine.

We fans and footballers have been let down by ANFA for far too long. It has to stop.

By launching  the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)  Solidarity  Cup, AFC  has done the  right thing and provided an ideal platform  for  lesser known footballing countries of South Asia and South East Asia,where footballers  can/could showcase their talent , which then could lead to bigger opportunities.

We know there is no dearth of young talented , aspiring footballers.The fact of the matter is that they  get to play  very few international tournaments and  lack  exposure  to football at a higher level. And obviously they have  lots of catching up to do with the rest of the world. AFC must  further expand the international market  for  them.

Keep the bigger picture in mind. The exposure alone will not solve the burning issues faced by these Asian countries. This is much more than that.

Above all,  the role of football association is critical  when it comes to shaping the future of the country’s football. A bigger irony is that the core of the problem is the dysfunctional and corrupt football association(as in the case of Nepal),causing great suffering to footballers and  impeding development.

The Asian football governing body  is  immersed in politics and   has been playing politics for long. They are duty bound  to make   football associations more accountable and transparent. Unfortunately, all these years they have not been able to do much about it.