Nepali football continues to stagnate

Nepal’s last place finish   in the recently concluded   AFC   U-16 Football   Championship   qualifier   in Kathmandu   does not auger   well   for Nepali   football. The   hugely   disappointing   result   put a damper on football   enthusiasts   who   had   rallied around the team.

Home fans   dejection   was/is palpable. They have witnessed their team   take a beating one after another in the last six months. After the   national   team’s   mediocre   showing in the World Cup qualifier, high hopes pinned on Under-16 footballers.  

Much to everyone’s   chagrin they failed to   live   up to their expectations in both SAFF and AFC tournaments.  In the SAFF championship they made a total hash of things despite heavily   favored   to   win. 

The youngsters let stacks of chances   go begging because of their inability to finish off in style.

The AFC tourney was a different ball game in terms of opposition quality. In Oman, Syria and Saudi Arabia, the home team had formidable opponents.

The boys needed to show character to hang on to the end.  And they stood a pretty good chance to pull it off. It was possible only if they performed to their potential and rose to the occasion.

Equally important was to get rid of complacency, inconsistency and indiscipline that cost them the SAFF trophy. In addition, evidently they were under extra pressure to perform well.

Admittedly there was not   much   to differentiate between the teams in terms of   play, strategy, technique and talent. The Gulf teams though had an edge over the home team physically.

Against Syria and Oman our boys ran out of gas and were unable to convert chances that came their way. To sum up   they lacked   fire work and physical ascendency to restore parity. The only consolation for the team   was a 1-1 draw against the Saudis.

The poor result should set alarm bells ringing, and there is an urgency to take stock of the situation that is steadily   getting worse by the day. Hopefully   I   have not   overly exaggerated the scenario.  The picture I   have painted may have seemed somewhat grim but is based on my observation.

The availability of infrastructure, resources and fund in abundance, coupled with a strong football association has led to a healthy growth of football in the Middle East, over the years. Slowly but steadily they are catching up with the rest of the world.

On the other hand, sadly our situation is   just the opposite, and the truth is that we have taken a step backward.

Despite everything    budding   aspirants   across the country are striving to make their dreams come true.   Unfazed by   uncertainty   the passion   and love they carry for the game keeps them going.

There is no dearth of   talent in the country.  But it makes little sense   if   we   are unable   to tap into the talent pool to our   use.

Past performances and results point to the fact that   we were relatively strong in various age groups ranging from under-12 to under-19.  There has been a marked decline in both performance and standard, which is a source of constant concern.

All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) led by   Ganesh  Thapa   is largely to  blame  for the state of the affair , and they have turned  a blind eye to  a well  structured grass roots  football  development (bedrock of all sports) program me.

Bear in mind grass roots   is the future of   football, and it   provides a platform for the game   at the highest level. It   is   imperative that   we   keep it healthy to serve its purpose.

To be fair all I want from   Thapa and company is convince critics like me that ANFA is honestly committed to doing the right things.   From the very outset I had set realistic goals for them.

I am reminded of an adage “Actions speak louder than words”. In the case of ANFA it is the other way around. The matter of fact is that there has been years of neglect both in infrastructure and youth development.

Their   limitations are understandable. And  I acknowledge that  with  the  kind  of  resources, funding, support, technical man power and infrastructure available,  it is  virtually  impossible to  develop the game as one  fantasizes.

What   irks me most is that   they   never did the   best   they could. Whatever they have done   falls well short of expectations.    

We have   waited    long enough (sixteen years)   only to witness their   ineptness.  I have totally lost faith in ANFA and do not believe that things will improve under the present administration.  I   am so terribly sorry for our footballers and pray that they see better days.