mysportsmysports

After having endured the ignominy and fiasco of the   senior national football team in the AFC Challenge Cup, it is now the turn of the   young rising football stars to take the center stage. The   future stars of Nepal   will get a chance to shine   in the AFC   Under-14 Group C qualifiers, starting 2 nd  April in Kathmandu. The championship is being organized yet once again by All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). The round-robin tourney features    Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Nepal   has been   a force in age group football for a good number of years in   South Asia and beyond. Sadly, most age group teams   are going through a period of decline,  and they will lose more ground if the trend continues unchecked. They are no more indomitable   as they used to be, however, the   only exception is ...

With   only a few days to go,   it   looks, though; the national cricket team of Nepal is ready to flex their muscles in the ACC Twenty20 qualifiers in   Kathmandu. The competition   brings   ten   recognizable names to town. Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Maldives, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Afghanistan, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain are vying for top honors.   Apparently, there is plenty at stakes for teams in the tournament. The   winners and runners-up advance to 2013 ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers taking place in the UAE later this year. The   final qualifying round   will have   sixteen regional qualifiers   fighting   for six spots. In other words, the   top six finishers   will move to the final round of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. They   will join   ten full member team...

Nepal came with their   best   performance;   unfortunately, it was all too little, too late. Nonetheless, this was   a   truly   decent   showing   against a formidable Palestine in the just concluded AFC Challenge Cup in Kathmandu. Without a doubt, they   achieved   a respectable and   heartwarming   result   in   a   game they knew was going to be tough and difficult. At least, they were able to sign off on a high note The only saving grace for Coach   Stefanowski   team   was   their spirited   0-0 performance in the final match of the competition. Fired-up   supporters    finally got   something   to smile, cheer, rejoice and celebrate. Surely,   players   can hold their heads high and look forward to the ...

The bustling    industrial city of Biratnagar is all set for   one   of   the oldest football tournaments in the country, Birat Gold Cup, kicking off on 3 rd March at the historical Shahid Maidan. With the city’s premier sporting spectacle right around the corner, sport enthusiasts in the area and beyond  are gearing up for the event  that is close to their hearts. There is    so much history, emotion, prestige and respect attached to the tournament. No wonder, the competition had   developed   the aura of exclusivity. Originally known as   “Mahendra Gold Cup “, it became   one of   the country’s   most   prestigious and popular   tournaments before it went into oblivion. In many ways, the football   championship symbolized the nation’s industrial hub and   served as a very important vehicle to promo...

Come March 2 nd  Head   Coach   Jack Stefanowski leads an under-performing   national football team of Nepal in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in Kathmandu. Things are looking far from rosy for the newly hired American coach.  No question, he certainly faces   an uphill task. He just has to hope that Team Nepal performs way beyond   expectations. With the recent   spate of poor results, there   is   a   genuine cause for concern. In the last three international   tournaments the   team   looked thin, very ordinary and struggled mightily. Statistics clearly show that they are   a struggling lot and left with plenty of obstacles they will have to overcome.  They have scored just once, failed   to cash in on home advantages and slipped down in   FIFA rankings (I give little significance to rankings). ...

The topic of my discussion   is   the Aaha Gold Cup football tournament that rounded off in Pokhara recently.  I   know   it is awfully late but I believe it is never too late writing. Looking back at the 11 th  edition of the   Aaha Gold Cup, it was a grand success   in all aspects. The championship was well run and excellently managed. Besides, it was well- received and well- attended throughout, as well. Since its inception, the tournament , hosted by Sahara Club, has grown from strength to strength, and has grown to become one of  the most widely anticipated  and prestigious tournaments in the country. Even more important, the competition   has   become   the   biggest sporting spectacle in West Nepal and serves as an important platform for upcoming footballers and   football scouts. The endeavor put in by the organizer to run the tour...

The frustration and anger of   partisan supporters was evident   at   Dasarath Rangashala, following Nepal’s back-to back defeat against Pakistan. Not surprisingly, fans chanted slogans   against   All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and the team for the poor result. I don’t blame them. The fact of the matter is that they have been left with nothing but disappointment and disillusionment for far too long. There is absolutely   no excuse for the team’s   mediocrity and sloppiness.  They made a total hash of the home   field advantages, and   the lack of finishing once again was very obvious. Nepal did   look the better outfit in the   first match, however, performed rather poorly in the second. There was nothing to separate the two teams, technically and tactically. They played a similar brand of football. That said, the visitors   did have th...