Kathmandu 'A' Division Football League in Hindsight

The long drawn Kathmandu 'A' Division   football league finally concluded with Three Star Club emerging victorious. The Patan outfit got what they deserved in the   competition.

Withstanding   a disastrous start, pressure,   momentary bump  and loss of focus, star- studded Three Star Club (TSC) managed to corner glory at the end. This is their third league title.

They performed with a great degree of consistency and rose to the occasion when it mattered most, especially midway through the tournament.

The champion club of Nepal never lost the momentum   after they   wrested away   the   initiative   from arch rival Manang Marsyangdhi Club (MMC).

At the end, the super league contested by eight teams turned out to be an anti- climax, despite a handful of matches remaining in the   schedule.  Since the league title was already   decided in favor of TSC, the only point of interest was how the results   would affect   the   rest of the field   final standings.

TSC did go down   to Nepal Army in their final   fixture   but still   they walked away with the league title.  The   club’s   success   has been made possible by the concerted efforts of dedicated players, coaches and officials.

Since TSC’s climb   to ‘A’ Division   30 years ago they have not looked back. They have won virtually every major national   tournament   and a bagful of trophies in India.

Slowly but steadily,   they   have established    themselves   as the perennial   powerhouse. They are expected to   further dominate the domestic   scene.

TSC gets yet another opportunity to represent   the   country in the AFC President’s Cup Group A qualifiers. The first time they competed in the tournament was in 2005. Also they   played in the Asian Football Club championship in Thailand in 1998.

TSC   has to put in a really good   performance   against Taiwan Power Company (Taiwan), Erchim FC (Mongolia) and Abahani Limited (Bangladesh)   to succeed in the AFC President Cup qualifiers starting in the first week of May in Kathmandu.

Star packed MMC went into the league as the frontrunner and had their share of chances to overtake TSC. However, they stumbled at critical junctures by failing to deliver the goods. They are only to blame themselves.

After everything was said and done, they finished   behind   the league champion by two points. Obviously, the second place finish is a huge disappointment for the most dominant and impressive   side of 2012  

Defending champions Nepal Police slump was shock of the tournament.  The team was reduced to a pale shadow of its former self. They   mightily struggled in the entire two phases of the competition and barely managed to squeak through   to the super league.There was no end to their poor form in the final leg of the competition and finished   an agonizingly second last.

In contrast, the other departmental side Nepal Army rebounded, especially in the super league to claim third spot.  Keeping in mind their    early struggle, it seemed highly unlikely that they would finish third.  The result they achieved is commendable.

Early pace setter Machhindra FC   looked full of promises; however, they fizzled out half way through the competition. The talented youthful side had to settle for a rather frustrating   sixth position at the end.

Rank outsider Saraswoti Youth Club   got off to an electrifying start by   handing a shock defeat to TSC, however, they were unable to make it to the super league despite being tied on points with Nepal Police.  The cops had the last laugh because of a better goal difference.

Yeti Himalayan Sherpa Club that emerged as a formidable football club not too long ago completely   failed to live up to expectations. Their mediocrity   and complacency cost them a place in the super league.

Armed Police Force and Jawalakhel   Youth Club survived the relegation nightmare by the skin of their teeth. However; the   relegation axe fell on Mahindra Bansbari Club, Boudha Fotball Club and Madhyapur Youth Academy.

Lacking true quality

The Kathmandu league failed to serve its purpose and lacked true quality   in terms of standards yet again.  The whole way   the league has panned out proves that things have not changed much.

The level of play dished out by teams left   a lot to be desired. No single team was able to put together a mind blowing performance. There were very few players that really stood out  in my mind.

Well received entertainment

The league had its face value   strictly from an entertainment perspective. The spectacle was well attended and supporters of each team made their presence   felt in a big way.

Controversy and vandalism galore

Unhappy and infuriated over the referee’s decision for denying them a spot kick in the crucial fixture  against Himalayan Sherpa  Club that eventually paved the way for their relegation, coach Upendra Man Singh and his supporters made attempts to manhandle the referee and engaged in destruction of property (stadium).

ANFA took the right step by serving a year ban on the club, thus restricting them from participating in any national and international tournament. Also they slapped a fine amounting to   Rs 20, 000 for their unruly behavior.

Likewise, Nepal Police supporters were involved in vandalism after their side failed to get a penalty kick against the Army outfit.

 

African players populate clubs

The only foreign players   in the   league   were   from   Africa.  They continue to populate the clubs and one of them (Yona Elias) even became the league’s top scorer.  It was refreshing to see   a good number of young local talents in the league.

 

No match- fixing

Strong   doubts   had been cast over match fixing in the past, however, this time one did not get to   hear much about it. There were whispers but it failed to gain ground.

 

Increased prize money and attractive individual awards

ANFA raised the prize money for the league and handsomely rewarded individual players for their outstanding   performance, which was/is a good thing.

Lack of infrastructure and facilities

Lack of   infrastructure   facilities    continues to impede the development of football.  The foremost problem is that there   are no   sufficient playing fields in the country.

The evidence is clear:  There is no end in sight to ANFA’s   dependency on “Dasarath Rangalsala”. The football body has to give serious thought to building a stadium.

ANFA denies equal opportunity to non-Kathmandu based Clubs

ANFA continues to   over look and unfairly treat non-Kathmandu based clubs.  Their decision to cancel the year old national league was a big blunder. 

The absence of a true national league is one prime example of   ANFA’s failed policy.  There can be no excuse   for   their   failure   to launch a sustainable national league.

There is a ton of great, untapped talents across the country, and a national league can help identify and unearth such talents.

Let us not forget that a majority of the players in the current national team are from outside the Kathmandu valley.