ANFA President Narendra Shrestha must quit

The full scale of negligence that led to the non-participation of Three Star Club in the  second round of the Asian Football Confederation  Cup Qualifiers is utterly   shocking , appalling .and deplorable.

Let me remind readers that the Patan outfit had advanced to the second round of the competition , following their hard earned playoffs success  at the expense of Erchim FC, Mongolia in August, 2016.

Unfortunately, since they have been denied access to the tournament, all their efforts, toil thus  wasted in vain. I feel very sorry for  the players in particular,  who were eagerly looking forward to the competition.

Their frustration level  is at its zenith, and they   are dejected and bitterly disappointed after their chance to play in such an important tournament  go up in smoke.

There is nothing more aggravating  than being let down  by your own  football association..Can you believe it ? All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) is at it again.

In other words, the guilty party is ANFA ,which   failed to  register Three Star Club (TSC) for the tournament despite  repeated reminder from Asian Football Confederation (AFC). As  a result,  to everyone’s dismay ,TSC was replaced by the   Mongolian side Erchim FC.

This is a clear case of gross inexcusable negligence. In the first place,this should have never happened. How could  it  happen ? I find it  hard to believe what has happened.

ANFA is fully  responsible for the fiasco without question. It is more than an just embarrassment  and  ignominy that the team and their fans had/have to endure due to football federation’s shameful and disgusting negligence.This is but an example of absolute incompetence and sheer irresponsibility.

The latest  episode of mismanagement of epic proportions is unacceptable and another reminder of ANFA’s frailty, amateurishness, failure  and ignorance. This is a case of extreme lack of integrity and accountability

Things are getting way ,way out of hand. As a matter of fact,this is becoming a daily occurrence.Can it get any worse ?

Everyone knows ANFA has done very little   to raise the profile of Nepali  football on the international front .Time and time again, footballers and fans have been let down big time  by inept and dumb  executive committee officials long time.

ANFA has become a big, big standing joke for decades. The people running the show has made Nepal the laughing stock of world football and are destroying football by the day. They do not give  a damn.

The onus falls on ANFA ‘s leadership and executives.We have to hold them accountable  for their blameworthy conduct and not meeting their responsibilities. That said, the big question is, who will hold them  responsible for their actions.

We have  the toothless, irresponsible  National Sports Council (NSC) and Sports Ministry doing nothing about it. They are mere spectators, sitting on the sidelines rather than taking appropriate action against them. This is such a pity.

TSC are victims of incompetent  administrators led by the newly elected incompetent President Narendra Shrestha.

It is ironic that Mr. Shrestha and ANFA  General Secretary Dhirendra Pradhan  have all the time in the world to attend overseas seminars, meetings, shake hands with FIFA and AFC executives, exchange pleasantries, shop,  drink and dine but have no time to confirm  TSC ‘s participation in the AFC Cup Qualifiers.

Furthermore, ANFA  is packed with people holding different positions, which include four Vice-Presidents. Also there are  positions with fancy names like  ANFA CEO, ANFA Consultant, ANFA Technical Director,  Football Development Director and so on .

I hate to say it, but they all share a common thread, that is, they have zero sense of responsibility. Those who voted for Mr.  Shrestha should be ashamed of electing him. They are responsible for  footballers’ continued  woes and  plight.

A  three-man investigation Commission formed by ANFA to probe into the matter is nothing but a smoke screen.It is a big joke, and  I expect nothing to come of this.

Given the loss of time, effort and money invested in preparation  for the competition, it is a huge  setback  for  TSC. Evidently,  they cannot be compensated. More important, they must  seriously seek to hold ANFA accountable and responsible for their actions.

Now is the  time for football clubs and fans   to make a stand and act against ANFA to save Nepali football. Else, doing nothing and keeping silent would only make matters  worse and players woes would continue to grow.