Frustrating 2025 for Nepal Football

  

In retrospect,the year 2025 did not go down well for Nepal football on all fronts much to sports aficionadoes frustration  and disappointment.

The  development of  football in terms of infrastructural and facilities enhancement, consolidation of grassroots and youth football remained static.

In fact, the long-standing systemic issues that have not been resolved by the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) continue to hinder the football development process in a big way.

On the field there was no significant headway made  especially by the men’s national teams across all age groups when it came to performance and delivering results.

To put it in other words,it was a tale  of struggle,underperformance and failure to get their act together for the most part.

I don’t  totally blame players for their mediocre performance and inability  to deliver results.The truth of the matter is that they made every effort to make a positive impact and get desired results.

Their efforts, however, went in vain as they lacked adequate and proper pre-preparation for the challenges.This in fact is an ongoing issue blatantly ignored by the football body.

ANFA led by  Pankaj Bikram  Nembang is largely to be blamed for the declining standards of football and stagnant state of the sport.

It is very obvious that the football body has failed in its responsibility to  develop and uplift the sport as required.

Their failure has been all about weak leadership,maladministration,

incompetence,unaccountability, mismanagement,lack of commitment and transparency.

Consequently,it has dramatically slowed down the growth and development of football in the country and created an air of uncertainty.

Unbelievably, the failure  to organize   the  A Division League of  prime importance in 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons fully exposed ANFA and questioned their ability to govern the association.

Unsurprisingly, they faced protests from players and clubs for not organizing the league.

It had  far-reaching repercussions, impacting the entire football ecosystem. Both from a sporting and economical standpoint,it had negative effects on football clubs,players and stakeholders.

As a result,Nepal had no representation in the  2025-26 season of AFC Challenge Cup.

Furthermore,ANFA’s indecisiveness cost them a hefty fine of  $ 10,000 imposed by  AFC for withdrawing from the AFC Futsal Cup qualifiers.Making matters  worse,Nepal has been barred from participating in the next edition of the same tournament also.

To add, AFC  fined ANFA $2500 for violating the AFC Code of  Discipline and Ethics during  Nepal vs Malaysia match in  the Asian Cup  qualifiers held in Malaysia,  Both teams  were penalized for delaying the start time in both halves of the game.

The change of venue to Vietnam in Nepal’s  home game against Vietnam  in the Asian Cup qualifiers once again raised many questions.

The change of venue was based on security concerns and sub-standard playing pitch in Dasharath stadium . 

This is not the first time the red flag was raised over playing conditions. In the past several home matches were moved for the same reasons.What bugs me the most is that the  complete failure to upgrade and maintain the playing surface, and improving facilities in Dasharath stadium  to  required international  standard on part of ANFA, National Sports Council and Sports Ministry.

The  resignation of the men’s and women’s national teams head coaches Australian Matt Ross and Belgian Patrick De Wilde way before their contract expired was one of the big headlines of the year.

Their resignation in quick succession is a reflection on  ANFA’s poor governance and weak leadership.

Moving to action on the field,for the men's teams it  was a dismal year that was devoid of optimistic performances and positive outcomes.

The senior team struggled like never before and ended the year on a losing streak.

They lost to Malaysia(2 matches), Vietnam(2 matches and Laos(1 match) in the Asia Cup qualifiers.The biggest disappointment was Nepal’s defeat in the hands of lowly placed Laos.

Despite a string of setbacks,they had moments  to rejoice and celebrate in a  handful of friendly matches.  

Their upset win against  favorites Singapore was the best result.The other matches against Hong Kong and Bangladesh  ended in draws.

Also in action were the men’s Under-23 and Under -19 teams.They failed to make an impression,faring poorly.

The Under-23 featured in the AFC  U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers in Dushanbe, Tajikistan  against Tajikistan,Syria and Philippines and lost all matches.

Similarly, the Under-19 ‘s  challenge in the Under-19 SAFF  Championship held in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh  against India,Sri Lanka  and Bangladesh ended with one win and two defeats.

They played well against Sri Lanka,getting the better of them with a convincing 4-0 victory. However, they lost  to India by an identical score and went down narrowly 1-2 to Bangladesh.

Nepal’s only franchise based Nepal Super League football  tournament held in Kathmandu and organized by the Nepal Sports and Events Management was  a resounding success. Expectedly it attracted significant interest in sports buffs who packed the stadium for every match.

The seven teams in the fray featured the country’s best talents, forty two foreign players  and  four foreign look coaches.

In a thrilling championship game,  local outfit Lalipur  City came on top against  Pokhara Thunders 2-1 to crown themselves champions for the second successive season.

It was encouraging to see a good number of emerging local players in the playing rosters of all seven teams. Going by their performances,they impressed and are stars in the making and have the potential to make it to the senior team.

2025  saw  several men’s national  team players sign contracts with Bangladesh clubs to play in the top tier of Bangladesh Football League.

Right winger Ayush Ghalan plays  for Bangladesh  Police FC. Defensive duo Sanish Shrestha and Yogesh  Gurung along side midfielder Arik Bista and forward Anjan Bist are playing for Brothers Union.

Defender Abhishek Limbu represents Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society.Custodian and skipper of the national team of Nepal Kiran Chemjong  transferred from Bangladesh Police FC to Victory Sports Club,Maldives.

Compared to  the men the surging women’s team had a  relatively decent year in terms  of performance and delivering results.

 

The kind of progress they have made  amidst challenges over the years is remarkable.

They missed  the opportunity by a  whisker to write history in the  AFC  Women’s Asian  Cup qualifiers held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,

They looked  well on their way to the  final round of the competition taking place  in Australia in 2026 ,following their convincing victories against Vietnam and  Laos.

In the decisive fixture against the home team Uzbekistan, they made a  stunning  comeback  to level the score  after trailing  behind for the most part of the game.Their effort to complete a memorable victory, however ,fell short in the tiebreaker as they lost 2-4.

They  squandered  another big chance to end the drought  by winning the Four Nation International Women’s football championship organized by ANFA in Kathmandu.

Having beaten Lebanon and Kyrgyzstan and drawn with Myanmar.They made it through to the final on a superior goal difference to clash against formidable Myanmar for the title.

Contrary to expectations,they stumbled and failed to produce a winning performance and crashed to a disappointing 0-2 loss.

Besides, the national team played numerous friendly matches and got  mixed results .

They lost to Iran,Indonesia and Chinese Taipei. In their two matches against India they won one and drew the second.

Nepal women’s under-20 participation in the SAFF Under-20 Women’s Championship in Bangladesh  ended in runners-up position.

They played two matches  each against  Sri Lanka and Bhutan and came out trumps outclassing them. However, they went down  to Bangladesh in both matches to finish second in the competition .

The year end saw the historic inaugural edition of the South Asian Football Federation Women’s Club Championship  held in Kathmandu.

The championship featured clubs from five countries- Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Strong contenders East Bengal Football Club ,India lived up to their expectations to win the championship by ousting Nepal’s Armed Police Force Football Club in the  decisive game.

Under the limelight were  women footballers playing  abroad for foreign clubs .

Ace striker  Sabitra  Bhandari aka Samba made  further headlines when she was signed by Wellington  Phoenix, New Zealand. 

She made the move to New Zealand after playing two seasons for the French club En Avant Guingamp.

Her present club plays  in the Ninja 

A -League Women tournament in Australia .Already she has  made an impact by scoring a handful of goals. Unfortunately,in her last match against Australia ‘s Brisbane Roar  she sustained injury to her leg and had to be substituted in the final minutes of play. Hopefully, the injury is minor,and she makes a quick recovery and is back in action soon.

Likewise, striker Rekha Poudel changed clubs from Abu Dhabi Country Club  to Maziya Sports  and Recreation Club in Maldives. Her new club plays in the  country’s top Dhivehi  Premier League.

Also in the news was  talented twenty -one year old midfielder Preeti Kulung Rai who was signed by Amman ,Jordan based  Etihad Club that plays in the Jordan  Women’s Pro League.

The defensive duo Puja Rana and Samiksha Ghimire  were signed  by  the Farasganj Sporting Club,Bangladesh. The club plays in Bangladesh’s top level Women’s Football League.

Custodian Anjila Tumbapo Subba rejoined Sethu Football Club, Madurai, Tamil Nadu that plays in India’s   top tier professional  Women’s  football League.

In spite of challenges the steady rise and growth of women's football is s ver positive sign. We have  witnessed remarkable progress made by women’s national teams across all age groups,They have been  showcasing their potential and skills in international competitions, time and time again.

There still remains a lot to  do when it comes to addressing structural challenges.Thus, it is imperative to give continuity for sustainable development, growth and shaping the future of women’s football.

Presently, Nepal football is at a crossroads and desperately in need of ANFA that is led by a  true visionary and uniter, who is dynamic,committed, honest,competent and capable of transforming the landscape of Nepal football.

As long as,ANFA continues to be governed  by unqualified,uncommitted,

self-serving, corrupt ,politicized,inept and dishonest officials,Nepal football is bound to go  further backwards across all fronts. Additionally,players  who have sacrificed their careers for football will have to continue living with woes,frustration and disappointment.