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Showing posts from June, 2022

Newly elected ANFA President Pankaj Nembang must prove he is the solution,not the problem.

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  In Mr.Pankaj Bikram Nembang the All Nepal Football Association of Nepal has a new President. Mr.Nembang unseated incumbent  All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) President Mr.Karma Tsering Sherpa by six votes in the recently held election. Mr.Nembang garnered 45 votes  against Mr.Sherpa’s 39.The third candidate Mr.Rajiv Paudel drew blank,failing to get a single vote.   Mr.Nembang, a resident of Dhulabari,Jhapa  is a familiar face in Nepal football and has been associated with ANFA since 2002.Prior to that he was also a member of the Jhapa District Football Association. He served as an executive member and more recently senior Vice President in Mr. Ganesh Thapa and Mr.Sherpa led ANFA respectively. Mr.Nembang ran his campaign on changing the landscape of Nepal football like never seen before and governing ANFA in a very pragmatic, meaningful,transparent and effective manner. Whether or not  the newly elected President delivers on his promises,time will tell. He faces an immediate chall

Fight for ANFA Presidency: Sherpa vs Nembang

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  From left Mr.Pankaj B Nembang and Mr. Karma T Sherpa. Come June 20th,2022, all eyes will be on the delayed and much talked about  All Nepal Football Association election. Mr.Karma Tsering Sherpa, Mr.Pankaj Bikram Nembang and  Mr.Rajiv Raj Paudel  are vying for the most sought-after  All Nepal Football Association(ANFA) president position. Although three candidates are in the fray,the contest for the coveted position is most likely to be between the incumbent ANFA President Sherpa and ANFA Senior  Vice President Nembang.  The candidature of former President of Friends Club  Paudel appears insignificant so far,but he can become  a  potential spoiler should the vote count between Mr. Sherpa and Mr.Nembang goes down to the wire Both Mr. Sherpa and Mr.Nembang announced their panels for the election several weeks ago.However, Mr.Paudel has not made  his panel public. It does not come as a surprise that both frontrunners  vying  for the  ANFA presidency have packed their  panels  with famil

Indonesia demolishes lackluster Nepal in one-sided blow-out

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  Contrary to expectations, Nepal paid a heavy price for its listless and mediocre performance as they were hammered by Indonesia 7-0 in the AFC Asian Cup Football Qualifiers in Kuwait Wednesday. With the crushing setback,Nepal wrapped up the tournament with three  straight defeats.Admittedly,the debacle against Indonesia was bitter and disappointing for the young guns who had churned out a fighting performance in the first two games. The Indonesians needing a big win on the day played an all out attacking game  from the outset.They never slowed down and kept the opponent  on their defensive half for the most part. The  strategy worked as they made mincemeat of Nepal in  a one -way traffic  blow out.The scoreline could  have been much higher,had they not squandered half a dozen scoring opportunities which came fast and furious especially in the second half for the winners. Indonesia turned the game lopsided and one- sided  as they  dominated and took total control of the game in the se

Kuwait hands defeat to helpless and pinned Nepal

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  With two successive defeats, Nepal's run in the AFC Asian Cup  Football Qualifiers came to an end in Kuwait Saturday.   Nepal went down to host Kuwait 1-4.Although they lost by a  big margin,they put on an inspiring and  fighting performance.  For the second straight game,custodian Deep Karki, who was under constant pressure, saved Nepal’s blushes by making a handful of outstanding saves. As a matter of fact,the score line could have been much bigger,had the home team not squandered a dime a dozen scoring chances that came their way. After creating a host of scoring opportunities, Kuwait got the breakthrough midway through the first half . The unmarked Kuwaiti  headed home a perfect cross to open the scoring.   Taking advantage of the opponent's suffocating defensive performance,Kuwaiti controlled the game and relentlessly attacked the goal with relative ease. Just before the lemon break, Nepal  finally  had possession of the ball for a good number of minutes and even took a

Fighting performance by Nepal in defeat

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The men’s national football team of Nepal,with a host of new faces went down tamely to hot favorites Jordan in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in Kuwait City Wednesday. The defeat did not come as a surprise as Jordan was expected to dominate the proceedings and come out convincing winners at the end of the day. They did win but were given a run for their money. It was a bumpy ride fir the winners all the way to the finish line. Contrary to expectations, fancied Jordan had to deal with the opposition’s stubbornness,doggedness, determination and fighting spirit. The Jordanians squandered a golden opportunity to convert one of the two spot kicks to take the lead minutes before halftime. It was only in the second half their dominance paid off much to their relief. Debutant goalkeeper Deep Karki filling in for Kiran Chemjong rose to the occasion and was brilliant under the  bar. Apart from saving a penalty,he made a series of important saves to restrict the opponent to 2 goals. To be fair,all

Nepal requires herculean effort in Asian Cup Qualifiers

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The men’s national football  team of Nepal is gearing up for the third round of the AFC  Asian Cup Football Qualifiers in Kuwait. As you are aware, the preparation and team selection for the tournament was hit hard by a dispute between  Kuwaiti Head Coach Abdullah Almutairi and a section of players,and chaos resulted. Ten players who could have been in the  first playing eleven including highly experienced international Rohit Chand left the closed camp in protest  The unfortunate incident couldn’t have come at a worse time for the team.The  Kuwaiti  coach, unfazed by the unexpected turn of events, responded quickly by summoning 17 players in place of those who left the closed camp. Given the circumstances,the team announced for  the  tough qualifiers might not be the strongest and best,but it is not short on talent without a doubt. The squad is loaded with highly talented and promising youngsters.Of course, every coach looks  for a perfect blend of youth and experience in the team. Coa