Says Coach Humagai," Ganesh Thapa’s autocratic style management destroying Nepali Football"

In sports, coaching   is   a very important, challenging and   demanding job. A coach has to demonstrate that he/she has the    ability, passion, determination, gut, patience, self-discipline, tactical and technical knowledge required for the job.

When one steps into the role of a   coach, comes   big responsibilities. The stakes are high. And then along comes high expectations.  The nature of the job and the demand can make the coach, either a hero or a scapegoat.

Speaking of Nepali football, becoming a coach is far more challenging, given the sad state of football. We have homegrown coaches   aplenty; however, nobody denies the fact   that   the  lack   of   professional, qualified coaches is a huge problem.

Of course, coaches have unwavering commitment and   do their best to achieve their goals, but all their efforts go in vain. Don’t blame them   for their failures and shortcomings.  The bitter truth is that they are helpless and   depended   on a system that is broken

All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) does not have a professional structure in place to train homegrown coaches.  All they do is, once in a while   conduct   coaching clinics, workshops and seminars.

Other than that, the football body has done very little to improve standards of coaching.  It’s no wonder, there is dearth of quality coaches and   for the last twenty plus years   we have witnessed a steady decline   in coaching standards.

Over the decades, very   few coaches in the likes of Padam Krishna Shrestha, Bhim Thapa, Shiva Bhakta Joshi, Dhan B Basnet, Birat Krishna Shrestha, Krishna Thapa, Yogamber Suwal and   Maheshwor Mulmi have   been   in charge of the national team.

From 1981 to 2013 the national team had ten foreign coaches, including former Indian international Shyam Thapa.  Recently we had two foreign coaches in Graham Roberts and Jack Stefanwoski, over a three year span. Both had replaced Krishna Thapa.

There is little doubt that there   is   an   acute   shortage of   qualified   homegrown coaches in the country.

Nepali football  will have to look forward to the new breed  of coaches  in the likes of  Raju Shakaya, Bal Gopal Maharjhan ,Hari Om Shreshta , Pradeep Humagain,  Amrit Panta ,Janak Singh Tharu,  Paras Chauhary, Upendra Man Singh,  Madhu Karki,  Dhurva KC, Megh Raj KC, Anjan KC, Kumar Pradhan  and many more.

I   chanced upon Coach Pradip Humagai on Face book recently.  I sensed he   was the right person to chat on the issue. He opened his mind, and I found him quite candid, forthcoming and unreservedly straightforward.

Born in Kavrepalanchowk, Humagai developed a keen fascination with football from a very tender age. He played competitive football   in school and club levels.  Before he hung up his boots for good he played for Rani Pokhari Team.

“Lack of motivation and financial hardship forced me to quit as an active player,” says Humagai.

He took a very different path and   was   politically active, especially during the 2006 Peoples’ Revolution. Despite everything, his passion for football remained   intact. And at the same time, his decision   to purse higher education paid rich dividends.

He did his Masters in sociology, health education and physical education. He took   up teaching assignments at different schools. However, he   had a burning desire to become a full fledged football coach and strongly believed that there were plenty of opportunities in Nepal.

As a first step toward the development of his career, he joined Himalayan Sherpa Club to learn the tricks of the trade.  He was under   Upendra   Man Singh’s tutelage for four months and later took FIFA grass roots course.

He spent some quality time training boys and girls at grass roots level. He was/is a strong advocate of women’s football and thinks women should get   equal opportunities as men.

He is a young promising coach with serious ambitions. He was driven to choose a career he is extremely passionate about. He believes in hard work, commitment and persistence.  He is knowledgeable, resourceful and skillful. He is someone who applies intelligence, structure and new methods to his training.

He did not have to wait too long to kick start his professional career. He was appointed head coach of Three Star Club (TSC). He could not have asked for a better start to his career. He got his opportunity and made full use of it.

He  tasted success at TSC. And he led the team to   Kathmandu League title.

“I enjoyed every minute of my time   at TSC. I was privileged to have such a talented group of   players. They   were  friendly, supportive and respectful,” recalls the former TSC coach.

Despite success, things did not go the way he planned. He parted ways with TSC eventually after a year.

Coach Humagai   expressing bitterness over the Club’s intimidation tactics said, “The management   always wanted their way in most issues.  I was unable to speak my mind   even during post-match conferences. They warned me not to   speak anything against ANFA boss Ganesh Thapa. There was a gag order that prevented me from speaking   the truth.”

“I felt  frustrated, humiliated and could not take it anymore. It was so unethical. In addition, players are not taken care of as they should by the management. There is   a very strong undercurrent of dissatisfaction among players. They deserve better treatment and respect”.

On his coaching career, he said, “I cherish to become a complete coach. I know I have set myself a lofty goal that requires unprecedented hard work, dedication and will power. I am dogged in my determination to achieve and prove myself no matter what. Admittedly, I have a long, long way to go and am still in the process of learning”.

“We have a good number of bright and talented coaches in the country but quality is lacking. There is no systematic and organized mechanism in place to develop coaches in a professional manner. ANFA does not give a damn and has miserably failed to uplift coaching standards”.

“There is no unity amongst coaches. They are divided into different factions. Most of the time selection of coaches for national teams is not merit based. Instead nepotism, favoritism and cronyism prevail.”

“Only those close to Ganesh Thapa are the privileged and get preferential treatment. On the other hand, the ones who dislike his policies are unfairly treated and isolated. To add, there is a notable absence of club culture and there is no respect for coaches. The vast majority of clubs are unable to even identify the role of a coach”.

On the future of coaches, he said,” It is obvious   that   a unified front is crucial to the future of coaching. It depends if we can collectively work   together for the betterment of our career. There has   to be exchange of ideas and interaction between coaches.”    

He is critical of   ANFA   and holds them accountable for   the sorry state of football. “In my opinion Nepali football’s biggest problem is ANFA itself. Had   Thapa been honest, open minded, true to his words, accommodating, probably football would have   been in a much better shape today. However, he chose to govern with an iron hand. This has caused football to stagnate.”

“The   bigger tragedy is both the media and football community   have let him have his way for more than 20 years, which is shocking. Thapa has instilled fear in people circling his wagon.”

He does not think   Nepali   football will change much   long as Thapa is at the helm of power and functions under the same policies.

Presently Coach Humagai is in the US and looking for opportunities to progress through coaching course and training. Recently he participated in Virginia mid-field Clinic and was in the   City of Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup as observer.

 I reckon there is no place for   honest, sincere  talented, qualified, honest, vocal and   loud coaches in Nepal. What an irony ?