Three Star Club dominates national football

Without a doubt   star –studded Three Star   Club has   established itself as the number one football outfit in the country. Lately they have shown tremendous form to    dominate   national football.

 They have been   playing   consistent   and   positive brand of football. To their credit they   triumphed   in   two   big championships- British Gurkha Cup in Kathmandu and 9th Aaha Gold Cup in Pokhara consecutively.

Coincidentally in both tournaments they got the better of   arch rival   Manang   Marsyangdhi Club (MMC). In addition, the two teams participated in Governor’s Gold Cup in Sikkim last year but failed to make any headway. 

Three Star Club( TSC) also participated in  the 59^th Bordoloi   Trophy  in  Guwahati, Assam  but lost 0-3   in the final  to   the three time champions of  Bangladesh  Professional League  Dhaka  Abahani  Limited.

Apparently   the rivalry between the two clubs is growing by the day.   Going by their strength   in   terms   of   players   and   playing standards they are on equal footing. They have in their ranks   a host of   current national players plus foreign recruits.

We have witnessed a sort of tug-of-war between them when it comes to   recruiting the most sought after players in the country. Since the clubs   started playing   nationally   in the 80s they have managed to cruise along sans major hiccups so far. 

More   importantly   they have   withstood   the   rigor and   grind of the game over   the   years. 

The matter of fact is that TSC and MMC   have been playing in the shadow of two very successful departmental teams- Nepal Police and Nepal Army for a   relatively   long period of time.

 Nepal   Police has been the most dominant team in the country, however, they have somewhat struggled and stumbled lately.  Now that Birat Shrestha is back on the saddle as head coach, things should start turning around for the cops.

That said, unless   they put in hundred percent their struggle might not end. The star packed team   has gone winless in the last three tournaments and must rebound with a vengeance to reclaim the pole position they are so used to.

On the other hand, the Army has   failed to live up to its legacy over the years.  It is fair to say that at the moment they are a pale shadow of its former glory. They   are left with a lot of catching work.  With a more efficient coaching staff, coupled with effective planning and training they certainly can rebound.  

 In terms of organization and training facilities both   clubs are far better equipped than the rest in the country.

Teams   like  Armed  Police Force, New Road Team,  Ranipokhari  Corner  Team,  Jawalakhel   Youth Club and   Friends Club  are  making  serious efforts to rejuvenate  themselves.

Machhindra Football Club (MFC) and Himalayan Sherpa Club (HSC) are the two teams to watch in the future. They have   looked inspiring   and full of promises.  By far   newly   promoted HSC has looked the most impressive.

The youthful side   created a stir by winning the national league knock out football tournament last year. Since then they have   been playing pretty consistently. 

Unlike   in   the past domestic football today has become more competitive and intense. Despite financial constraint clubs have been   making sizable investment   in players (local and foreign), which is     very positive.

Also   the   jump in the   number of   corporate houses   sponsoring   clubs   is   fairly   significant. Ironically these   encouraging indicators   mean very little in terms of clubs’ role in the context of national football.

The kind of contribution   they   should   be   making   is   not   there. Foremost,    a strong football club culture, the heart of success literally does not exist. Also  they lack  basic  facilities , resources and adequate fund to  advance  their cause as they would like .

Every football buff in the country   agrees that the state of Nepali football     is   far from   desired largely because of pitiful   administration and management   on part of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).  

The football   body continues to turn a blind eye to grassroots   programme, and they are unable to ensure the right environment and have facilities throughout the country.

 I can only hope that   clubs are able to play a pivotal role in the overall development of football in the days to come.