Are Selectors, Coaches really unfair and biased ?

International Karna Limbu ’s  exclusion from the national  football team of Nepal did not surprise me a bit. I anticipated it.Expectedly, his rejection drew sharp criticism from football  aficionados across the country.

Having criticized All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) for their failure to uplift football, striker Limbu’s axing from the team was a foregone conclusion.

One of the most prolific goalscorers in domestic football had made a comeback to the national squad after a gap of three years.

He was in the team that played against Philippines in the Asian Football Confederation Cup qualifiers  in Philippines recently. However, he was not in the first playing  eleven and did not get any playing time.

More recently, the selectors ignored him for the friendly against India.To be fair ,I cannot say with certainty that he deserved to be selected or not.Nevertheless,  the selectors have come under  criticism in this regard.  

But I will say this, the selectors should be condemned if  Limbu truly deserved selection strictly based on merits. Furthermore,  if he was deliberately overlooked because of his critical views of ANFA , it is wrong, absurd and totally unacceptable.

Unfortunately and shamefully ANFA  does not give a damn and has set a nauseating precedent by targeting  disgruntled players who speak against them.Such players   are shunned and are denied  a place in the team irrespective of how talented or experienced they are.

We all know how much and how far  ANFA interferes  in team selections and try to influence the selectors. We have seen it all . Under ousted ANFA President Ganesh Thapa’s stewardship, the interference was at its worst. They had the final say and made the selectors a laughing stock.

They even got a foreign coach like  Jack Stefanowski dance to their tune,which was very disappointing.  But Englishman  Graham Roberts was defiant and refused to cave in under pressure from the football association.

The selectors  are obligated and morally responsible for picking the very best and  the right players for the team. Unquestionably, it should be in the best interest of the team.However, this has not been the case far too often in the context of Nepali football. They have been guilty of surrendering their ethical responsibilities and succumbing under pressure from ANFA.

Everyone agrees that the selection process  must be fair, impartial and transparent and the best available talent has to be picked as per the needs of the  team.

It is beyond my comprehension  why  a player in the caliber  of Limbu has been in and out of the national team all these years.

If he is that good why do selectors always have second thoughts  when it comes to selecting  him.We have not heard from the selectors the reasons why Limbu was ignored for the friendly against India. If reports are to be believed he has disciplinary issues.

If he was overlooked  purely on disciplinary grounds then I do not have much to say. Discipline is something players have to necessarily maintain throughout no matter what.

Obviously, it did not go down well  with Limbu. Immensely disappointed and frustrated, he opened up on his exclusion from the team. He  has a very different story to tell and aired out his bitterness, anger,especially  against Coach Koji Gyotoku.

Apart from questioning the Japanese integrity, professionalism and ability, he accused him  of biasedness, favoritism, partiality and nepotism.

This is the first time a foreign coach has come under fire from a player. Whether the accusations are true or false, it does not bode well for both players and the team. It is very important that coaches  do not play favorites because  it only creates dissent  and division in the team.

Players must be treated fairly,equally,  and there should not be two sets of rules, one  for  a  few selected and one for the rest of the team.