Nepal face herculean task at Asian Games

The Under-23 national football team of Nepal takes center stage at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea in less than two weeks time.

Whenever, wherever   Nepal   enters a   major sporting competition, it triggers   huge interest in fans and    always remains a topic   for   conversation. It has always been   this way.

Sports enthusiasts, media wonder how the team will   perform, the coach will approach the tournament and what to expect.

Speaking of    expectations, there is not much   to be optimistic about our chances. To be very honest, we do not stand much of   a    chance.  

Sorry to paint such a grim picture, but it is what it is. Let us hope Team Nepal surprise us with a very good performance.

Obviously, Coach Jack Stefanowski and his team have a herculean task ahead of them. We are in a very strong group, and the challenge is unprecedented considering the opposition we are up against.

In Japan, Iraq and Kuwait, the continental powerhouses, we have very formidable, red hot opponents difficult to handle. The   three   Asian heavyweights   have made appearance in the FIFA World   Cup final tournament, Olympic Games   and carved a niche for themselves in Asian football.

Both Japan and Iraq   are past winners of the Asian Games, while Kuwait’s best finish has been second place in the 1998 Games.

Don’t forget, Japan is the defending champions. On the other hand,   Kuwait was eliminated in the round of 16 in the 2010 Asian Games and Iraq did not participate.

Mind you, these   are   vastly superior   teams, technically   and physically. They are well geared up for the   competition and will leave no stone unturned in achieving the best result.

In   contrast, Nepal with a very unimpressive international record   will be seen as   minnows in the group. I have no hesitation to say that our prospect of winning the competition is virtually zero.

Nonetheless, we must be at our very best,   give everything we have, especially to avoid humiliating defeats.

All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) never learn from   their mistakes.  The Korea bound squad is woefully underprepared   for a big   event of this magnitude. Everybody agrees that sending an unprepared team to   any tournament is irrelevant and   not fair for players and coaching staff.

I feel very sorry for players who   are   made scapegoats ultimately   by the football body that has no accountability.

The decision by ANFA to participate   at the Asian Games came   not too long ago. In fact, it should have been decided well in advance and preparations undertaken accordingly.

In the name of   preparations, all the team had was   two friendlies   against a lowly Bangladesh Under -23 side.

It is no secret that ANFA   for the most part has turned a blind eye to   organized   planning and training, especially when it comes to preparing   national teams for international tournaments.

The importance of an   ideal   preparation should never be undermined. The objective of a pre – competition preparation is to   reach a desired level of readiness   for   consistent, competitive team performance.

At the same time, the coaching staffs   are able to   focus and   work   on    key areas, like technical, tactical, mental and physical   sides to the game.

International tournaments are a must because it provides players   valuable training, playing experience, and exposure. That being said,   the   bitter truth is sans adequate   preparation the team cannot deliver, no matter how big the desire.

Somewhat surprisingly, in his second year as head coach of   Team   Nepal, Mr. Stefanowski has been a big disappointment. He has failed   to deliver results and   the national team continues to struggle, following   a string of   poor performances.

He   has   maintained   a low profile and not bothered to address the needs while preparing the team for major competitions.  

I do not doubt his   ability and competency   as a coach. To me he seems rather defensive in his approach, interactions with ANFA, and what he does not want to do is irk them.

In doing so,   he   is doing more harm than good to himself and the team.  So far, it has been a story of new coach    but   same old results.

Team Nepal makes its fourth appearance in the Asian Games in   32 years. Looking back in hindsight, since our Asian Games   debut (football) in 1982, it has not been a happy ground for us in terms of results.

Our best performance has been at the 1982 Games in New Delhi, India. Although we   conceded   all three matches, we were competitive against Kuwait (1-3), Iraq (0-3) and Burma (0-3). YB Ghale   had the rare distinction to score the only goal against Kuwait.

The   1986 Seoul Games did not go down well for us. We   lacked the competitive edge and lost every game in the group (0-5 to Japan, 0-5 to Kuwait, 0-6 to Iran &   0-1   to Bangladesh).

Moving on to the 1994 Hiroshima Games, I had the privilege to cover every match we played. Fresh off the 1993 SAF Games   gold medal success in Bangladesh, Nepal entered the competition with high hopes.

Contrary to expectations, we   paid   a heavy price for mediocrity and sluggish play. We were off to   a nightmare start, losing to South Korea 0-11 and never recovered.

In the second game   we meekly surrendered and lost to Kuwait 0-8. A solitary goal loss to Oman was the only saving grace for us.

The Under-23 made its debut at the 1998 Bangkok Games. They put in a spirited performance but went down to Japan (0-5) and India (0-1).

Indeed, ANFA has put our footballers in challenging circumstances. Despite the odds, let us hope the youngsters   step up their efforts, are able to put in a decent performance and win some kudos by the end of the day.