Birat Gold Cup glitters again

By   lifting the coveted Birat Gold Cup Football Championship, Himalayan Sherpa Club asserted itself as one of the best teams in the country.

To the delight of the jam packed vociferous supporters, they sealed the deal by a solitary first half goal against African United Club. The final might have lacked spark and   thrill, but football goers enjoyed every minute of the action.

For the Kathmandu based club it has been quite a season in terms of accomplishment. They have    participated    literally   in every major tournament   across the country in recent months.

Studded with young and emerging stars the club has progressed   by leaps and bounds in a relatively short period of time. Their success has come through sheer hard work, determination and personal sacrifice.

The club might not have star power to boast of, but it does have a whole slew of   highly talented players with great potential. Long as the team plays productive   and   constructive football, definitely more successes would come their way, and they stand a great chance of coming out on top.

It is  extremely  important  for the  Club management  to support  players  in a very professional manner in terms of   first -class coaches , quality  training facilities, decent  contract  and perks for long term success.  

Coming back to Birat Gold Cup, the big three, Manang  Marsyangdhi Club (MMC), Three Star Club (TSC) and Nepal Police Club (NPC) failed to live up to high expectations.

Interim coach Hari Khadkha’s frustration mounted   as   NPC for the second   successive tournament exited in the first round.  It is unimaginable that the   cops   are struggling and playing poorly.

African United Club (AUC) and Hong Kong (comprising Nepali players) were the two foreign sides in the fray.   AUC, now a regular participant   in the domestic circuit   did well to reach the final.

On the other hand, Hong Kong outfit consisting of several national players (Nepal) conceded the replay against MMC to protest the organizer’s unfair decision.

Apart from the MMC vs Hong Kong replay controversy,   in my estimation, the competition was fairly well organized and well run.  Also the tournament   attracted large crowds, with attendance in the thousands for each game.

In hindsight there   could have been a   better planning and organization in order to make the tournament   much   more   interesting and appealing.

I   feel   it should have been either a 12 or 16 team event, including a handful of foreign teams. The inclusion of   quality   foreign teams does add value and appeal   to the tournament. I understand the committee has to overcome   financial constraints to organize a large scale tournament.

However,  I   strongly believe long as they  are engaged in the  marketing and promotion of  the tournament aggressively,  it would not surprise me  a bit to see   sponsors  jumping on the bandwagon.   

Looking at the video clips and pictures of the playing field, it was and is in a bad shape. The playing surface was unsafe, and there was always the possibility   of players   getting   injured. Let us remind ourselves that the   ground condition can   profoundly   influence the   team’s performance.

The physical safety of players    on the pitch cannot be compromised, all players for that matter. These are all fundamental but very important issues the organizer should never ever ignore.

The  historical   “Shahid  Maidan “    has become too  small to hold the  growing crowds , and  it poses  serious  security  and safety  concerns.   Biratnagar needs a decent modern day stadium keeping in mind spectators, athletes and officials’   comfort and safety.  

There has to be a concerted effort to build a   stadium on part of this great sporting and industrial city of Biratnagar.  Stadiums   today are   an integral part of the sports industry.

The organizer of the Birat Gold Cup deserves kudos for reviving   the prestigious   tourney, and I do hope they do not repeat the   same mistakes next time.