Nepal football stares at uncertain future

Unsurprisingly the men’s national football team of Nepal made a quick exit from the 14th edition of the South Asian Federation Football Championship in Bengaluru, India recently.

Definitely the setback was a huge disappointment for the team and fans alike.

With the  latest effort going in vain,Nepal’s frustration of not winning the South Asian Federation Football Championship (SAFFC) continues unabated.

This time,however,Team Nepal went into the championship with low expectations as they clearly lacked match  readiness to make an impact.

As a result, the odds were heavily stacked against them,and they  stood very  little chance of upsetting the apple cart.

As a matter of fact,they were sans substantial match practice and underprepared for the tournament largely because of All Nepal Football Association’s (ANFA) gross mismanagement and incompetence.

Would  you believe it,the less-than-perfect build up  for the championship was just a little  over a week,which included a solitary  friendly match against the Philippines .

The preparation was a shambles and hindered  by the then ongoing Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ Division League and refusal to release  selected players  for the  SAFFC preparatory camp by respective clubs because of unresolved financial dispute between them and the football body.

ANFA had all the time in the world to plan timely  preparation for the regional tournament.The dispute with the clubs should have been addressed in time to avoid the impasse.

It’s  hard to comprehend why the football body deliberately turned a blind eye  to insightful planning, timely and  meaningful preparation and actions.

It is another classic  case of  poor management  and failed leadership at the helm of ANFA.

The new Italian Head Coach  Vincenzo Alberto Annese  admitted that the preparation was inadequate and players did not get enough time to play together as a team.

The challenge  in the SAFFC was bigger for Nepal as they were  pitted against India, Kuwait and Pakistan in the same group.

They were eliminated from the tournament,following successive defeats in the hands of Kuwait and India.

However, Nepal wrapped up the championship with a consolation win over Pakistan. 

As always both the coaching staff  and players had to bear the brunt of the blame for the lackluster performance and failure to deliver desired results.

What more can we expect from the football association that can't even properly plan and prepare the national team for a tournament.

The way  things are going,it is no exaggeration to say that Nepal football is not moving in the right direction  with football standards  plummeting further.You can judge it for yourself.

ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nembang has not delivered on his promises. His administration has failed to promote  good governance, execute  and implement policies effectively. 

So far he has proven to be no better than his predecessors who lacked leadership qualities.

No wonder,the state of football development in the country  continues to stagnate to date 

There are no indications that  football  landscape is changing for the  good under    Mr. Nembang’s leadership,

The scenario is unchanged and  is far from healthy, robust and encouraging. There is a lack of conducive environment  for the sport to thrive.  

Grassroots and youth level football remains underdeveloped and overlooked. Furthermore,financial crunch, infrastructure  and  lack of proper training facilities remain prevalent.

Despite everything,football popularity in the country is  at an all time high and competitive football is played across the country, thanks largely to the private sector.

There is no dearth of  young  aspirants pursuing a football  career and hoping to play for the country one day.

Given the situation, the irony is that  the sport in the country  stares at an uncertain future.So the  million -dollar  question is, how does Nepal football overcome the challenges?