Nepal needs to put on a fighting performance against against Vietnam

 

 

Football,the most watched and followed sport in the Asian Games, got underway  in Hangzhou,China Tuesday.

A total of twenty one teams  are in the men’s competition. Initially the draw was made with 23 teams but the withdrawal of Syria and Afghanistan reduced the event to 21. 

The championship features under-23 national teams.Asian  powerhouses in the likes of South Korea, Japan,Iran,Saudi Arabia and Qatar  are expected to dominate the tournament.

Definitely we cannot rule out surprises and upsets. Host and two times champions China, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Indonesia are teams to watch.

With five titles  defending champions South Korea has been the most  dominant side.Once again they are  one of the strong contenders.

Iran has the second best record finishing  on top on three occasions. Undoubtedly  they are  front runners alongside Japan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for the ultimate honor.

After two successive Asian Games appearances in the 2014 in South Korea  and  2018 in Indonesia, National Sports  Council(NSC)  decided against the men’s national team’s participation in the 19th  edition of the Asian Games.

I guess the  decision was based on the team’s current  form and poor performance and results  in international tournaments lately.

To be fair,  given the team’s  ongoing struggles in international competitions like never before and the performance  level dipping to a new low,NSC made the right call.

Nonetheless, it is a lost opportunity for the team to get the much needed exposure against  some of the best  teams in the Asian continent.

On the other hand, NSC approved  participation of the  women’s national football team in the Asian Games.

Team Nepal will be making their maiden  appearance in the continent’s  biggest sporting event . 

The decision was made with the sole intent to give them  invaluable exposure which they  fully deserve.

Footballers are bound to  immensely benefit  from the exposure in terms of motivation,morale, confidence level  and performance.

Sixteen teams are in the fray for the top honor.The presence of defending champions Japan,China,South Korea, 

Philippines  and Vietnam(all played in the recent Women’s World  Cup in Australia and New Zealand) is expected to  make the  competition highly competitive.

China and North Korea have been the most successful  teams.They have won three times  each and  Japan twice.

Nepal find themselves in a very tough group.They are pitted against Japan,Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Unlike the men, senior national women’s teams will compete.Nepal has played against Vietnam in two  friendly matches in Kathmandu,losing both  early this  year.

Against  strong title contenders Japan,it will be their first meeting.Their best chance is against  Bangladesh to achieve a credible result.

Obviously,the odds are stacked against them.However, they should not forget the fact that it is a big opportunity to prove themselves on the big stage.

They must let go of fear,consistently maintain a high  confidence level,  build a positive mindset  and  believe in themselves,

They  have to give it their all regardless. At the end of the day what counts most is  a fighting performance and making an impression no matter what the outcome is.

Undoubtedly,our women footballers have the potential to be among the best in Asia and beyond.

The women teams in various age groups are continually making strides in football despite  huge challenges.

There is a lack of seriousness and commitment to develop  women’s football on the part of All Nepal Football Association(ANFA). 

As things stand,there still is not enough support  and investment to develop the game at every level is badly lacking. 

Domestic football is in  a sorry state of affairs.Leave alone a professional league, even a semi-professional league does not exist.That tells the whole story.

A handful of footballers have made forays into the Indian professional league which is a very encouraging sign . 

Ace striker  Sabitra Bhandari's name  stands out. She made history by becoming the first  Nepali woman footballer to be signed by an Israeli club recently.

She  is the trump card and spearheads the team’s offense.It is hoped that she finds her scoring touch. Nepal’s opener is against formidable  Vietnam on  September 21st. 

Team Nepal must  rise  to the occasion by producing their best performance to give the  seasoned opposition a run for their money.

  

i