Big blow to Non-Kathmandu Valley based football Clubs

All Nepal Football Association’s decision to abandon the newly   launched National League  football  tournament in favor of  ( whatever you want to call it Kathmandu or Martyr’s ) 'A'  Division  League   is  a huge   disappointment and a big  blow to non-Kathmandu Valley based  football clubs.

Once again there will be no   nationwide league, thus denying emerging football clubs across the   country a chance to   become part of the mainstream football.

This, obviously, confirms the fact that All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) is far from supportive when it comes to football clubs stationed outside the capital. Here is the thing, though, either the football body   has run out of ideas, or it is no longer competent to implement its programmes.

For long   the clubs have   been   ignored and alienated   by ANFA. However, there was a glimmer of hope after it launched the National League last year, but that hope turned out to be short -lived.

I find it hard to believe that in the last eighteen years ANFA has failed to launch a stable and effective National League.

At a time when   Nepali football standard has hit rock bottom and the national   team   is struggling like never seen before, ANFA   is clearly shying away from its responsibilities and undermining the importance of National League.

No one disputes the fact that   the National League provides an ideal platform   for   domestic clubs to compete against the country’s best outfits, and at the same time they are able to showcase their local talents.

The Clubs   not   based   in Kathmandu have all along received a raw deal. They ought to be treated fairly and given an equal opportunity like Kathmandu based clubs with the sole   purpose   to uplift, develop and encourage them regardless of the situation.

Listening to Mr. Ganesh Thapa’s   latest   press rant made me chuckle.  No wonder, his arrogance  is what   has   turned ANFA   into a laughing stock.

Mr. Thapa maintained that the National League was an experiment that did not work and had to be aborted based on technicalities and   sub-standard performance of clubs, especially the ones based outside   of Kathmandu.

Other than that, he had nothing substantial to say and repeated the same   talking   points in regards to ANFA’s courses of action to help clubs (outside Kathmandu Valley) succeed and thrive.

Can I have a reason   why   this has not been implemented after all these years?  You can say all you want, but actions speak louder than words at the end of the day.

Had only   ANFA affiliated District Football Associations done their job sincerely, probably,   football clubs  in  the  country  would have been in a much better  shape  today.

The hike in the prize money for the A Division champion, runners-up and individual winners   is welcome news, and I congratulate ANFA from the bottom of my heart.

That said, Mr. Thapa and company should and could   have done a whole lot more considering the fact that they have been at the helm of ANFA for almost two decades. There  is no longer excuses for not  being able  to do .