Australian Ross is new head coach of Team Nepal

The men’s national football team of Nepal has a new foreign coach in Australian Matt Ross.

All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) made the hiring of the Australian public on March 2,2025.

Forty  seven year old Ross inked a one - year contract  with the football body.He takes over the  coaching  responsibilities from homegrown interim head coach Nabin  Neupane.

It may be recalled that coach Neupane  was in charge of the national team after Italian coach Vincenzo Alberto Annesse's contract expired in  October 2024.

ANFA opted for a foreign coach instead of retaining Neupane.In my opinion,it is tantamount to  a slap in the face  for Nepali coaches.There is no dearth of qualified local coaches who have the potential to excel in their roles. 

It is imperative that ANFA have faith in  their  ability.They must give them as  much opportunity as possible so that they  can prove themselves. 

For Ross,a UEFA Pro License holder,this is his first head coach role with the men’s national team.He joins the long list of foreign coaches hired by the football association over the decades.

There has been a big uptick in Australian  coaches associated with clubs,men and women’s national and  age group teams overseas.

Amongst the pack the head coach  of Premier  League club Tottenham Hotspur Ange Postecoglou is the most  prominent.

Interestingly,Newcastle native Ross has had diverse careers before becoming a full- time coach. He  had a brief amateur  playing career and later  became a linesman in the  National Soccer League, Australia.He transitioned  into roles as a teacher and a bus driver as well.

His passion for football  was deep rooted, and  he wanted to be associated with the sport in one way or the other regardless. 

His coaching career got a kick start in the role of a youth coach in the Football Northern Territory system in Australia 

His desire to become a full-time coach abroad was evident when he and his wife  left for Frankfurt,Germany,sacrificing their full time jobs .

His gamble paid off eventually when he was roped  in for assistant head coach  of  FFC Frankfurt( Bundesliga women’s team) now  Eintracht Frankfurt. Later he went on to become the head coach.He coached the club’s U20s and U17s in the latter stages.

Success came his way when he led both U20s and U17s to 4th division and league titles respectively.

To add, as head coach he had a year-long stint  with the  Swedish women’s Club Vittsjo” GIK that played in the Swedish Women’s Premier League.

From Sweden he went to China,following his appointment as head coach of the U15 Women’s national team.

After spending  a year in China,he took over as assistant coach of the women’s national team of South Korea. During  his three -year tenure, South Korea qualified for  the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup football tournament.

He transitioned into club coaching when  he became the assistant coach  of  United Football Club in Dubai,United Arab  Emirates .Later he was head coach of the  Saudi  club  Al-Qadsiah U19 team.

Head coach Ross has taken over Team Nepal that is struggling and  going through a rough patch marked by mediocre performance and poor results.

By no means it is going to be easy for him to turn the team around. As a matter of fact,he has an arduous task in front of him.

Without a shred of doubt,he brings  vast coaching experience and expertise.We have to wait and see how he navigates the coaching challenges he faces.

He will spearhead the  national  team for the first time against Singapore in a friendly match on 21st March,2025 in Singapore.

Four days  later the real challenge starts for him  when Nepal plays Malaysia in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier in Malaysia .

History points to the fact that, whether home grown or foreign, coaches have had minimal success.

The development of Nepal football has been hindered by lack of infrastructure development,insufficient government support, inadequate sponsorship,weak grassroots development,limited funding for  facilities,and a lack of coaching and players development programs. 

Furthermore, lack of constant and sustained international exposure for  players, absence of a professional national league,critical  financial state of football clubs,surge in players migration,the sorry state of domestic football, and poor governance  continue to  pose serious challenges.

That being said, ANFA must fully support coach Ross' vision,goals and strategies with the resources they have.He must be given a free hand to carry out his responsibilities.

They should absolutely refrain from applying unnecessary pressure on him and unwarranted intervention when it comes to team selection anf preparation for international competitions.