FIFA must support investigation against Mr. Ganesh Thapa

The Public Accounts Commission of Parliament ’s decision to suspend President of All Nepal Football Association Ganesh Thapa from office for two months took everyone by surprise and is making headlines.

This is a huge blow for Mr. Thapa who has been accused of corruption for sometime.  Seemingly, this time he   finds himself in a spot of bother and very challenging, intriguing circumstance.

The   news triggered a firestorm of   public debate, outrage, criticism and media frenzy.

On the other hand, the crusade led by two Vice-Presidents of   All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Mr. Karma Tshering Sherpa and Bijay Narayan Manandhar with their supporters against Mr. Thapa   has a long way to go, no doubt. Nonetheless, they did score   a   moral victory.

The probe conducted by the Public Accounts Commission  (PAC) held Mr. Thapa culpable on multiple charges of wide scale financial irregularities, misuse and abuse of power.

The findings concluded that All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) boss accumulated money through illegal means to the tune of $ 6 million plus in the last twenty plus years since he took office.

If   true, the amount is staggering and mind blowing. And Mr. Thapa joins the league of high profile ministers, civil servants and many others convicted of corruption.

For an average Joe like me   it is very hard to imagine that he would be so brazenly corrupt.

Given the serious and damning nature of   the charges against Mr. Thapa, it is imperative for the government to conduct a thorough investigation and get to the bottom of the facts.

The PAC has strongly urged the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to investigate the matter. As of now, however, the anti-graft agency is yet to look into corruption accusations against the ANFA boss.

The million dollar question is; why are they so hesitant to investigate him?  Or will they ever investigate him?  Mr. Thapa is not above the law, not   by any means. So what exactly is stopping the CIAA from investigating him?

It is ironic that CIAA is committed to combat and curb the problem of graft and corruption at all levels.  Lately it has pursued an aggressive anti-corruption drive across the country.

What is so hilarious about   the anti-graft agency is that it has targeted mostly low-level officials but has turned a blind eye to   high- profile officials, including Mr. Thapa.  It is nothing but a mockery of the system.

Reports suggest that the   Chief Commissioner of CIAA Lok Man Singh Karki may have a conflict of interest when it comes to dealing with Mr. Thapa. If so, then he needs to recuse himself from the probe if there is one.

The government must see and ensure that CIAA acts and does its work responsibly. Letting Mr. Thapa off the hook would be a huge blunder. Also the public will have serious questions about the credibility, integrity and accountability of the agency.

Let the investigation play out and see what the findings are. In the land of law someone is innocent until proven guilty.  Of course, the same standard applies to Mr. Thapa.

Assuming that the government is hell bent   on bringing Mr. Thapa to justice, however, foremost, they have to deal with   FIFA and AFC.

Not only the two football bodies   stand in the way of the investigation, but also they are most likely to condemn the action because in their book of definition this is a case of flagrant intervention by the government. 

Should FIFA object to the interference with dire consequences, the government must present convincing and compelling reasons    why Mr. Thapa must be investigated? Also a request has to be made to the football governing body to allow them to conduct the probe.

If FIFA throws its weight around the ANFA boss, it would be most unfortunate, appalling, absolutely meaningless and detrimental to the development of Nepali football.

What FIFA needs to understand here   is probing Mr. Thapa   is in the overall interest of Nepali football. For over two decades, widespread corruption and mismanagement have plagued Nepali football.

The public ire, frustration against ANFA, especially Mr.Thapa’s leadership, and corrupt ways is growing by the day. It won’t be long before it spills onto   the streets

The agitating group consisting of   present ANFA members, coaches, clubs, football goers, present and past international players are simply seeking and demanding transparency, good governance, change, reform, truths and accountability.

They have worked long enough with Mr. Thapa   and know all too well how he runs ANFA.  They have had enough of him. They have no intentions to paralyze football development and activities in the country.

Football enthusiasts in the country desperately    want to see football heading in the right direction.

It is high time for FIFA to acknowledge, understand Nepali football community’s concerns and grievances.

As expected, Mr. Thapa has shamelessly denied the wrongdoings and made it crystal clear that he has the full   backing of FIFA and AFC.

Talking to the press, in Kathmandu, Nepal recently, he said,” If the government launches an investigation against me it is bound to back fire. It will spell destruction for Nepali football, thus isolating it from international football”.

Mr. Thapa has every right to say what he wants and defend himself vigorously. The truth of the matter is, no one believes him anymore.

By his own admission, he said he took the money from the disgraced, corrupt former President of AFC Mohammed Bin Hammam in 2012, following    an investigative report on Mr. Hammam that was made public

Furthermore, the investigative report published by the British newspaper, “The Sunday Times “ confirmed that Mr. Thapa received more money from Mr. Hammam.”

President of FIFA Seep Blatter   is well aware that Mr. Thapa was a   hard core Mr. Hammam loyalist. He had passionately supported the Qatari candidacy for FIFA President.

Despite everything, why would Mr. Blatter want to carry Mr. Thapa on his back? The reason is quite self-explanatory; he needs his vote for his FIFA presidential re-election bid.

I hope this will not happen or does not happen. Otherwise, it would be very unfair to the Nepali football community that has long suffered under the shackles of a failed and corrupt ANFA spearheaded by Mr. Thapa for more than twenty long years.