mysportsmysports

As the countdown for   the biennial South Asian Federation Football   Championship   begins, there is a palpable excitement in the air. Football   goers   across   South Asia are   waiting   with baited   breath for start   of the region’s biggest football    spectacle. Come   2 Dec, 2011 the ninth edition of the championship kicks- off at the gigantic Jawaharal Nehru stadium in New Delhi, India. Vying for the honor are   Afghanistan,   Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  The tournament that started in 1993   showcases   the cream of   South Asian football.   Over the years, we have witnessed    a   bevy of outstanding players emerge to become household names in the region, thanks to the championship. Host India often   referred...

Of course it would have been    a    feat of sort     had   Nepal    lifted the SAARC Under- 25 Twenty-20 Cricket tournament held in Maldives. Sorry   for   being   hypothetical   here.  We all   know it did not happen, and a staunch supporter like me obviously felt and feels somewhat   disenchanted. I wish it was so true.  As a fan you want your team to win at all cost. I confess I did not feel totally embittered considering the fact that we went into the tournament  with  the  underdog status, and we were up  against  the three best  teams in  the game. That said, I will say though our boys had the opportunity to showcase their potential, which they did to some extent. However, it was not enough to earn   us what we   had hoped for. Never mind the end result. On the whole   ...

Once again  my conversation topic is football.  Right now   the national team’s three nation   tour    is   front and center.  The friendlies    were undertaken   to   prepare   the team for the   all important upcoming South Asian Football Federation   Championship in New Delhi, India. The national squad rounded off the trip with a solitary victory over Cambodia (1-0).Other than that it was another listless performance by our boys. They went down to Philippines 0-4 and 0-2 to Malaysia U-23.  Unfortunately   the last   leg   of   the   tour   was cancelled due to   flooding situation in Thailand. This is the first time in a very long spell All Nepal Football Association (ANFA)     embraced   a tournament   wholeheartedly    in terms...

Not long ago there was     a whole lot of talk centered     on some of our leading national footballers. Speculation was rife about them playing in Europe, which   would have     been     a very important     landmark in the annals of Nepali sports. The news spread like wild fire largely because of massive coverage on part of both national print and electronic media. Local bloggers devoted to   sports     also had a field day and left no stone upturned. This obviously generated unprecedented     buzz, interest and excitement in the sport fraternity. The media frenzy     gave everyone the impression that it was going to happen.   I    don’t blame them because they were led to believe. As for the media they were     somewhat guilty of jumping    into the band wagon. The source of the news should have been authenticated before giving it full credence. Here I...

Nepal’s last place finish    in the recently concluded    AFC     U-16 Football     Championship     qualifier    in Kathmandu     does not auger     well    for Nepali     football. The    hugely     disappointing    result     put a damper on football     enthusiasts    who     had     rallied around the team. Home fans    dejection    was/is palpable. They have witnessed their team    take a beating one after another in the last six months. After the    national    team’s    mediocre     showing in the World Cup qualifier, high hopes pinned on Under-16 footballers.   Much to everyone’s    chagrin they failed to    live     up to their expectations in both SAFF and AFC tournaments.   In the SAFF ch...

To    acknowledge      and    honor     athletes’ excellence    is indispensable. It is a respectful way to salute and thank them for their    achievement    and outstanding contribution to the society and country. The recognition    is about their    relentless endeavor,    unending    commitment     and     selfless     sacrifice to glorify the nation through their sporting prowess. Also     it is an opportunity to amplify the importance of sports and    keep athletes’ morale high.   Celebrated sporting figures are role models and national heroes who are looked upon for motivation and inspiration by the     community     .   The greatest     irony, however, is that not    always     accolades come their way     though they      fully des...

Eighteen years ago I vividly    remember running into    Baichung Bhutia, India’s most acclaimed and celebrated footballer of our time. Candidly speaking     never    in my wildest    dreams I imagined the sprightly and gifted youngster would    climb the heights of football greatness. The nimble- footed    footballer was    the    youngest    member    of    the    Sikkim outfit    that     was in town to participate in the Birthday Cup. With great interest   and curiosity    I   watched   the Tashi   Namgyal Academy     talent   fresh off   from his fantastic   Subroto   Cup debut where he was adjudged   player of the tournament . He     did not disappoint and     lived up to expectations.   He was a bundle of confidence and exhibited f...