ANFA responsible for Nepal football’s

The  current state of Nepal football is far from  desired and  continues to slide downhill,creating an air of concern and uncertainty.

It is not an overstatement to say that football  in the country is  facing a crisis and  long term challenges. As  things stand,a  big question mark hangs over the future of football in the country.

The  recent  sudden resignation of Australian head coach of the national team Matt Ross raised many eyebrows and questions.In other words,the resignation speaks for itself .

Unhappy and frustrated over  the  unconducive environment,the way All Nepal Football Association (ANFA)  functioned and  things moved on and off the field,he was unable to fulfill his duties as he wanted. 

With no indication of the situation  improving,he could not take it anymore and ultimately resigned barely eight months into his one year contract.

He was critical of the football  association’s ability and competence, resulting in failure to bolster long- term  stability, sustainable growth in domestic football and push development as per the needs.

During his  short stint as the head coach, he led the team in seven international matches. He  had mixed results,winning one,drawing 2 and losing 4.

Prior to his resignation,Belgian Patrick De Wilde,head coach of the women's national team caused quite a stir when he resigned after just one month of his appointment.

In fact,he had  irreconcilable differences with the football  body.He cited mismanagement,maladministration, inadequate  facilities, administrative interference and weak domestic football structure, the reasons behind his resignation.

The resignation of  two foreign coaches in quick succession  triggered skepticism among sports enthusiasts in the country,evoking sharp criticisms against ANFA.

The failure to organize the all important A-Division league on an annual basis does not  reflect well on ANFA. This is evidence of irresponsibility for undermining the importance of the league and failing to organize  it uninterrupted on their  part.

As a consequence, they had to face the wrath of  A-Division  clubs and  players who   were left  highly disappointed, frustrated and angered over the football body’s inability to hold the league in a consistent and timely manner.

The Nepal Players Association put pressure on  ANFA by demanding to resume the league at the earliest. 

Besides,left with no other option,the clubs and players joined hands and launched a protest,demanding ANFA  to organize the league at all cost.

The protest paid off as ANFA came under intense pressure and caved in ultimately,agreeing to hold the league. 

This speaks volumes about ANFA's weak leadership,gross negligence,lack of transparency,unaccountability,

incompetence and total  failure to take football in the right direction.

Furthermore,lack of a healthy environment has limited stakeholders involvement in the development of the game,which is a major jolt.

 

The current ANFA  under the leadership of Pankaj Bikram Nembang has been a huge  letdown  when it comes to effectively  and professionally implementing  policies,managing and accelerating football development.

No wonder  infrastructural development is  at a standstill,national teams  performances have dipped to a new low and are mightily  struggling in international competitions. To add, there has been no  real progress in grassroots football development  and Nepal’s FIFA standings continues to plummet .

 

Like past administrations, it has been dogged by  weak leadership,internal  wrangling,petty politics  and accused of biases in the appointment of coaches and financial irregularities, and turning a blind eye  to players' welfare.

Apparently,the administration has miserably failed in its responsibilities, failing  to establish a healthy, meaningful and productive  football ecosystem in the country.

The grim reality is  that ANFA has  done nothing significant and praise worthy to uplift the development and take it to new heights.

As long as ANFA is run by incapable, incompetent, unprofessional,inept, uncommitted and politically motivated people, footballers will continue to suffer and football development will stagnate further.