ANFA makes mockery of Nepali football

Kudos to   our national football team   for   their   World Cup qualifier   triumph against East Timor held in the capital   recently.  The   outcome   puts   Nepal in the   second round   against Jordan.

The host won the double leg   clash in contrasting fashion.  Although   they   won a hard fought 2-1 victory in the first match but   was   in total command in their 5-0 win in the second.  Overall, it was easy going for the boys   against minnows   East Timor.

After almost a decade   our national team   participated in the World Cup qualifier, and more importantly   they   carved out a historical victory.

Some   may argue that East Timor ranked far behind Nepal in   FIFA rankings never   posed a serious threat. And their defeat was a foregone conclusion.   For the moment   let us not   attach   credence to this school of thought and undermine the team’s success.

A   win is a win regardless of the opposition stature. Without a shred of doubt   it   is   a significant and heartwarming result. The   boys deserve a big round of applause for their   fantastic effort.  

This is only the beginning   of an extremely arduous   journey for   the   boys.  In a couple of weeks they will be up against a far superior Jordan. Obviously, playing against a quality and formidable   team like Jordan   will require   extraordinary effort on our part to contain them.

Our players   must play their hearts out and avoid mediocrity throughout. Otherwise, they are bound to end up making   a hash of the matches.  Physically and technically   Jordan   has the upper hand.   

Bear in mind    football in Jordan has progressed dramatically over the years, and they have transformed into a force to reckon with. Coach Graham Roberts   could not have asked for a better result   in his return to Nepal   but in the back of his head he is aware of the daunting challenge he faces in the next round.

In view of the   sad   state   of   affairs there is nothing much Roberts can do to change the landscape of Nepali football.  The time   and resources   he has to prepare the team for the upcoming   qualifier is awfully inadequate.

He just has to hope that luck smiles on him and the team.  It is important to note here that players   morale is at an all time low, and for the life of me, I cannot see it getting any better.

In the last sixteen years   under   Ganesh   Thapa led All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) the national team has   underperformed and failed to win a single tournament.  This is the result of a   non -performing ANFA that has done very little to resurrect Nepali football.

Hard to  believe that     ANFA wanted   Jordan to host both matches because of  ground  issue, and now  it has    requested AFC to   postpone the home match  by  four  to five days  so that  they  could  ready the ground.

This is   pathetic and an illustration of ineptness and gross negligence on part of ANFA.  The   venue   had been scheduled well in advance by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and ANFA had ample time to put things in order.     

One can   clearly envisage how   Thapa and company have   been running the show to date.  It is fair to say that   ANFA is as corrupt as FIFA sans vision, accountability and transparency

I feel extremely sorry for our footballers   across the country whose careers   are   at a crossroads surrounded by uncertainties and    qualms.

Nepal’s accomplishment over East Timor was well received by the local media. The  country’s two major newspapers  “ The Republica “ and “The Himalayan Times” in their  editorials  highlighted some of the  underlying  problems  impacting the overall development of  the most popular sport in the country, however,  they chose not to  hold   Thapa’s   disastrous   governance not even partially  responsible   for the mess football is in.

The kind of   pass   given by the   supposedly responsible third eye   to Thapa   is ludicrous   and inconceivable.   This   only helps buoy up   Thapa’s   position and hurt the cause of football further, by and large.

The matter of truth is   that   we can become a decent football playing nation only with the right kind of leadership, governance, approach, support and environment which is amiss at the moment.