Another tournament,another failure

The men’s national football team of Nepal’s defeat in the hands of Yemen in the second round of the 2026 World Cup and 2027 AFC Asia Cup Qualifiers was a huge  setback.

Hosts Nepal entered  the match with a decent  chance to record its maiden victory over the West Asian outfit but disappointingly faltered at the end.

The loss added more misery,gloom, agony and frustration to the team and partisan supporters.

Home fans had high expectations.They looked forward to an improved and winning performance.That did not materialize,however,much to everyone’s chagrin.

For the umpteenth time,Team Nepal squandered the chance to give a good account  of themselves when it mattered most.

The matchup between the two sides was on an equal footing and the end result was up in the air.

Nepal not only failed to  capitalize on home advantage but turned in a mediocre result.

They had their moments,but on the whole it was not the best performance.They lacked consistency,aggression,cohesion and clinical finish.Simply put,they didn’t rise to the occasion.

Additionally,they struggled to match the opposition’s pace,aggression,resilience and determination.That made the big difference and led to their downfall ultimately.Evidently,it was a tale of  missed opportunity.

There is absolutely no excuse for the defeat whatsoever.Team Nepal’s streak of losses in  international outings in recent years is a reason for  concern.They continue their downward trend.

Given the sorry state  of Nepal football,the decline we are witnessing in the performance  of the national team of all age groups is no surprise.

The parties largely responsible for  stagnation of Nepal football are both the All Nepal Football  Association (ANFA) and the government.

Age long problems like lack of infrastructure,neglect of grass roots and youth levels football development, underfunding and absence of a meaningful professional domestic league continue to hinder systematic development and growth of football  to date.

The government is yet  to be  fully involved not just  in the development of football but sports as a  whole. 

As a matter of fact, sports  development has never been their  top priority. No wonder,the budget allocated  by the government every year for sports development is negligible and  awfully inadequate. 

Successive administrations have turned a blind eye to the need of prioritizing sports which is regrettable  and lamentable.

As long as the government continues to distance itself from sports development and fails to make it a top priority, the sports sector  faces an uncertain future.

Furthermore,ANFA  continues to fail miserably in its responsibilities and  has pushed  Nepal football in the throes of crisis.

Clearly this is the result of a weak leadership,pathetic governance,constant bickering, politicking,incompetence, mismanagement, lack of accountability and transparency. 

The failure of ANFA has considerably slowed the development of football,led to substandard performance,has created an unconducive  environment and kept potential investors apathetic.

The exodus of players moving abroad  for a  secure financial  future is a troubling trend and a slap in the face to Nepal football.

Additionally,it has depleted the team’s roster to some degree as well. The majority of ‘A’  Division clubs  remain  cash strapped and corporate sponsors are still hesitant to support domestic football. Indeed, it is a sad and frustrating state of affairs.

The ongoing Nepal Super League in Kathmandu  is  a silver lining and lays  groundwork for aspiring local players for their  professional journey.

However, if  efforts are not made to end the stagnation  and decline in Nepal football,the competition will become less meaningful and significant. 

Unless  ANFA is seriously committed to achieving sustainable development goals, Nepal football  woes will continue to multiply.