Nepal football plight continues on downward trajectory

We cannot deny the fact that the national football team of Nepal’s performance against Yemen in the  Asian Football Confederation Asia Cup qualifiers played in Kathmandu recently was far from desired.

At the end  of the day, it turned out to be just another game and a damp squib. Surely, a win would have been the ideal result for  Team Nepal seeking their first three points of the competition. Instead, not only did they fail to take home advantage but barely managed to avoid embarrassment and salvage a laborious draw.

To be fair, the players did everything they could, however, fell  well short of their goal. They exhibited plenty of   fighting spirit , grit and never give up attitude, which  largely helped them  survive the  crucial  game.

On the other hand,  they  admittedly struggled  quite a bit  with the mental and physical aspect of the game. The same can be said  about the technical and tactical performance.

The goalless draw did bring some smiles to the face of Head Coach Koji Gyotoku and earned cheers from fans. But the team had their areas of weaknesses and shortcomings exposed yet again.

Nepal was the  clear favorite going into the match but played second fiddle to the visitors for the most part. With so much at stake, they could not afford to lose the important home fixture.

After ninety minutes of action, the proceedings turned out to be much more challenging than could be expected.  Contrary to expectations, Coach Gyotoku boys had to endure a disappointing draw,  and in fact  they were made to toil hard throughout to keep a clean slate.

The number of matches players are having to play on domestic front seemed like it was taking its toil on the players . They appeared weary  and struggled to keep pace with the physically strong and speedy unheralded Middle-Eastern opposition.

Besides, time and time again, the defense was stretched and  appeared vulnerable. They  had a  tough time containing the offense that came close to scoring on numerous occasions.

The defensive unit  lacked  cohesion and fluidity  under intensive pressure. The defense has to improve a lot tactically, physically and mentally.

The  offense and midfield  did put in a much improved performance showing  good coordination and big play potential.The forward line looked promising in attack, but what they lacked though was consistency and finishing touch. They wasted a handful of clear cut scoring chances.

Had it not been the brilliance  of custodian Kiran Chemjong, the end result could have been very different for Team Nepal. They hung in till the end to split the point with the opposition.

Man of the match Chemjong made a big difference  and definitely saved the day for Nepal. The team's latest performance is a cause of concern and they face a tough climb in the coming days.

The Japanese coach must make necessary changes in the roaster in view of a  packed  schedule his side  will be facing over the course of time. Foremost, he has to  rejuvenate his squad and inject fresh faces with real potential moving forward .

Having said that , the big question is, can he ? I very much doubt he is capable of doing  it. In my opinion, the Japanese is proving he is just another coach. It appears though he has his hands tied by the  All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). My reading is that he wants to play out his contract that he agreed to sans any hassle with the hope that his contract gets renewed.

The  role of the head coach is just not coaching.He has to create a healthy training environment that will facilitate success and must strive to maintain integrity. One of the biggest frustrations for a coach is when he is without proper resources,tools  and facilities to prepare the team in a timely manner  for international challenges.

The coach  must raise his concerns  with the  management on the matter,regardless of his position.  He cannot remain  a mere spectator.

Otherwise, whether or not ,we have a foreign coach becomes totally irrelevant ,if he does not have the necessary support of the football  association  to carry out his responsibilities.

Team Nepal is  underperforming and not meeting expectations at international level. This is the result of  bad governance ,poor preparation,lack of international exposure,unfair team selection,  questionable  mental and physical state of players, a lack of motivation, and fatigue.The list goes on.

Much of the blame falls on the ANFA for  their prolonged and persistent pathetic governance and hopeless mismanagement.They just don’t  learn from their mistakes and keep repeating it. No wonder, Nepali football has stagnated and stuck in the mud hole.

The real victims are the players who have been robbed of opportunities for over two decades. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of Nepali  football  looks bleak and  uncertain under this administration. Sadly there is no indication ANFA is making serious efforts to turn things around.