Nepali football at the Crossroads

Indisputably   football popularity   in Nepal is on the rise, but standards   are steadily   and hopelessly declining.  A fact All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) will never admit, will never acknowledge.

I have painted a rather   pessimistic picture.   It is what it is. I cannot help it. Facts   speak   the truth, and we   are   witnesses to the sad state of affairs that football is in now.We are not stupid or dumb not to make out what has happened and what is happening in Nepali football in the last eighteen years.

This   is a   subject   Ganesh   Thapa   led   ANFA hates so much talking about by anyone. As a   matter of   fact, they   will never accept   or digest the truth.

They are so averse to   criticism of any   sort that they find   ways to silence   critics, especially the media.

So far they have succeeded in doing what they intended. Over all, the   sympathetic mainstream   national media has   always been   protective of ANFA and   complicit in hiding the truth.

Yes, the media has abandoned their role as watchdog and become a lapdog instead. This has allowed ANFA to dictate terms that are   detrimental to the best interest of Nepali football.

It is   beyond belief   and very unfortunate that they have thrown their weight behind ANFA   that has totally failed to propel   football forward. What a huge disappointment!

There are two kinds of critics. One chooses to remain silent, while the   other prefers to speak up. I fall into the latter category that is in the minority.

Why   is   Nepali football   in decline?  Why   is   the standard of football not better than 20 years ago?  I reckon   every   football buff in the country will instantly be able to answer these questions.

Mr. Thapa   should have the answers.  He knows deep down his heart   that our   standard   today is nowhere   close   where we need to be.

Also he will   admit that the   standard was significantly much higher   during his time (as a player) than it is now. When   Mr. Thapa took   over   ANFA leadership, expectation was very high all round from the start.

Alas, none of   the   hope and change Mr. Thapa and his colleagues    promised has materialized today. Given the scale of the   challenge, we   did not   expect   big things to happen overnight. Understandably,   time was needed to turn things around.

They had plenty of time at their disposal to prove   to themselves they are worth something. What stuns and puzzles me most of all is, they have not shown the honesty and commitment to get the job done.

The football body has been dogged by   controversies, financial misappropriation, phony elections, and more recently Mr. Thapa was linked to disgraced former AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam.

There   has   been    modest   improvement in terms of development   on all fronts. Nothing concrete, though, has been done to prevent further stagnation of the most popular sport in the world.

Believe it   or not, it took ANFA 16 years to design and   initiate the national league (Nepal National League).Prior to that they had failed to organize Martyr’s Memorial A-Division League for three years.

Since the 1993 SAF Games success the national football team has not won a major tournament to date and our age group teams have   lost considerable ground in recent years. I could keep going but I will stop.

In shouldering responsibility, there   can   be no excuses not to get things done. There is no denying the fact that   the football   body   lacks   vision, integrity, sincerity, professionalism, planning, accountability, transparency   and sound leadership in football management. 

The only   thing   ANFA has done   consistently is organize tournaments. They have been   in office too long and   done very   little   to change things for the better.

In spite of   generating revenue from sponsorships and receiving technical and financial support from FIFA, the football landscape remains unchanged.

The biggest disappointment has been their failure   to carry out grass-roots development and boost infrastructure. It’s hard to picture that the over- used Dasarath Rangasala is the only official stadium in the country.

Much of the football fraternity   in the country continues to be sans adequate playing fields, basic facilities and qualified coaches.

Furthermore, ANFA has failed   to create a   professional, healthy and positive environment, which will allow more sponsors to invest in football.  

To make matters worse, the absence   of club culture   has   seriously   hindered   the growth of professional football. Ninety –five percent of   football   clubs in the country are   financially unsound, and they don’t have their own training infrastructure and playing field.

Sahara football club, Pokhara is a role model, and other clubs should follow suit to take Nepali football to the next level.

Despite everything, football has survived thanks to footballers and fans’ enthusiasm and unwavering passion for football.