ANFA making footballers the sacrifical lamb

President of All Nepal Football Association Ganesh Thapa   continues to face mounting criticism over his involvement in the alleged corruption scandal that is gaining ground. So far he has   barefacedly denied the accusations   and remains defiant as ever.

Voices of   dissent   against Mr.  Ganesh Thapa   is   growing by the day.  Former national coach Krishna Thapa is the latest to join the long list of dissenting individuals.  Mr. Thapa, a long time ally of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) boss resigned as ANFA technical director recently.

While he was away in Brazil for the World Cup, the corruption scandal   was revisited by the local   media in a pretty big way, following the British newspapers new revelations. The amount of coverage   was   amazing and unexpected.

Also a section of the media sympathetic to Mr. Thapa mustered the courage to expose his corrupt, incompetent and scandalous administration.  Whether the media can keep up all the good work is yet to be seen.

At the same time, some of the agitating present and past ANFA officials demanded and are demanding that   the government and Commission  for the  Investigation of Abuse of Authority( CIAA) take action against Mr. Thapa. This has added fuel to the fire.

Mr. Thapa   and his stooges   are in a panic mode behind the curtains. The   desperation   is written all over the   face of   ANFA boss at the moment.  No wonder, he took the help of a rather timid and submissive media for two successive days and beyond and absurdly repeated his innocence.

And to hear him say,”Hang me if I am proven guilty”, was absolutely hilarious and laughable. He made a complete   mockery of himself. 

Every time he makes an appearance on a TV show he talks big   and repeats his lofty rhetoric.  We have heard him repeat the same   recycled rhetoric, time and time again. He said the same things in his latest appearance on  Dil Bhusan Pathak’s show “Hard Talk”.

Everyone knows about his involvement in the   corruption scandal and the illegal payments he received. This is a clear case of financial wrong doing, enrichment in public office and administrative corruption.

Once FIFA completes its investigation into   the   wide spread corruption scandal, then shall we know,   whether he is innocent of   any corruption charges as he claims.

Despite public and media outcry and mounting evidences,  I   still cannot comprehend why CIAA is reluctant to act against him.

Mr. Thapa leaves no stones unturned when tackling critics and opponents. He often resorts to devious ploys to out talk, out maneuver and outwit his opponents. He continues to do so to date. He is at it again. This time he has brought  a handful of players to the forefront , thus  making them the proverbial sacrificial lamb .

Mr .Thapa, fearing a possible players' revolt, has managed to win the support of a few. Most likely, they were pressured to voice their support in exchange for a return promise.

Should   that be the case then   it is most   unfortunate, and   they   have done themselves a big disfavor. Or   they   did  it  for their own self serving purposes.

I am terribly disappointed for their support of  Mr. Thapa and  condemning those fighting against   his highhandedness, failed leadership and in transparent administration.

The majority of players do not have the gall   to criticize Mr. Thapa and ANFA for fear of being ostracized. I do not blame them.   I understand they are victims of the system, and I have sympathy for them.

But that does not mean   they have to side with Mr. Thapa at a time when public opinion and support for him is at an all time low. This is a very unpopular move that has already backfired.

Whether they   like it or not, they   should   stay away from dirty controversies and reserve their comments, making sure   they   do not earn the ire of the public and get labeled   as Mr. Thapa’s puppets.

Players must think twice   before speaking their minds, especially if they intend to say what they think. They  should learn to rise above   the petty politics of self-interest and  raise  their voice against   the wrong doers in the system.

If  indecisive and faced with dilemma, take  cue from your cricket friends. Never compromise your integrity and   professionalism. More importantly, never   ever  let your fans down.  Otherwise, you will regret it.