Kathmandu, March 28 — On March 16, the All Nepal Football Association shared on a Facebook reel that the national team commenced its private training session under the guidance of new head coach Guglielmo Arena, in preparation for the friendly match against Hong Kong on March 26.
With Nepal’s men’s team rarely hosting matches at home, mainly because the Dasharath Stadium has been suspended by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) since February 2024, the match against Hong Kong was anticipated to maintain Nepal’s passion for men’s football.
Arena, who inked a one-year agreement with ANFA on March 12, also aimed to gain a deeper insight into Nepali football and its popularity through the match against Hong Kong. He planned to apply this knowledge in the game against Laos on March 31 during the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers – Third Round.
We have already been eliminated from the AFC Asian Cup. Therefore, both matches against Hong Kong and Laos will be friendlies. It will be very interesting to experiment against them,” Arena stated during his first press conference on March 13. “I understand that the fans always desire results. However, we will focus on making improvements and aim to make all Nepali fans happy.
Meanwhile, the friendly match with Hong Kong was canceled by ANFA on March 22. ANFA attributed the cancellation to the National Sports Council (NSC), stating that the owner of Dasharath Stadium—the NSC—did not provide permission to use the venue for the game.
The Council, however, stated that they allowed ANFA to use the home ground of Nepali football.
On March 22, the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) also declared the cancellation of the match against Nepal. “The Association received a notice today from the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) regarding political tensions in the area. The situation is becoming more intense; the organizers believe the preparations are not proceeding as planned and have chosen to cancel the game,” HKFA stated on its Facebook page. “ANFA has apologized to HKFA for the temporary cancellation. This Association shows its understanding and respect for the organizer’s decision.”
Now, the match against Laos is in jeopardy because ANFA is facing a suspension.
Suspended ANFA raises hands
The conflict between the NSC and ANFA escalated on Wednesday as the sports authority suspended the football association for three months. The reason: the NSC instructed ANFA not to hold its central executive committee election without first conducting new elections at the district level, but ANFA continued to push for an early election.
Out of the 88 voting representatives chosen for the ANFA election in Jhapa on Friday, most arrived at the easternmost district by Thursday for the voting process. A few stayed in Kathmandu, opposed the election, and withdrew their applications. By the end of Thursday, ANFA announced that the election had been delayed.
Consequently, the regular congress and election on Friday evolved into an event where ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nembang and General Secretary Kiran Rai presented their perspectives for more than an hour.
We have received approval from FIFA and the AFC to conduct the election. The Patan High Court does not see any issue with it. However, the Council suspended us while we were on our way to Jhapa,” stated Rai. “We cannot ignore Nepali laws, so we delayed the election. We also asked FIFA and AFC representatives, who had come to oversee the election, to go back for the time being.
Likewise, Nembang also agreed to the suspension imposed by the Council. However, he mentioned that the Council should now assume responsibility for Nepali football.
All the duties related to Nepali football should now be handled by the Council,” Nembang stated in Jhapa. “We also offer various services to numerous players, coaches, referees, and other personnel. We hope the Council will maintain this effort.
ANFA also anticipates that the Council will now handle Nepal’s involvement in international football, with the match against Laos being the top priority.
A poor first impression from an international coach?
Nepali cricketers, who were playing during the period when the Cricket Association of Nepal faced a three-year ban from the International Cricket Council in 2016, frequently mention, “It was a tough time.”
One of the factors leading to the ICC’s suspension was the government’s involvement in CAN’s election.
A comparable situation has emerged in Nepali football, where the Council has intervened in ANFA’s election. FIFA and AFC have, on several occasions, cautioned Nepali officials about potential suspension due to interference in ANFA’s election.
Following the international suspension, Nepal is barred from participating in competitions organized by FIFA and AFC, other teams will refrain from arranging friendly matches against Nepal, and there will be a stoppage of financial and logistical assistance from FIFA and AFC.
However, it appears that Nepal may not take part in the game against Laos, even prior to a potential ban from FIFA.
If there had been an international-standard stadium, Arena’s team would have hosted Laos. However, since no such stadiums exist now, Laos is hosting Nepal’s home match at the National Stadium KM16 in Vientiane.
The team needs to depart for Laos by Sunday,” Nembang stated. “However, we no longer have the authority following the suspension. We think the Council will handle it.
And it is not how Arena, a former coach of Laos, had anticipated his one-year stint with Nepal would begin.
Reaching to win the SAFF Men’s Championship in Nepal, Arena’s first international game with the Gorkhalis now appears an unrealistic hope.
The SAFF Women’s Championship is approaching quickly. However, Nepal’s involvement is now in jeopardy since we have been suspended by the Council,” stated Rai. “Women’s football has achieved greater success during our time. We don’t want it to fall to its lowest point.
The most suitable proposal presented by ANFA, as stated by Nembang, is for the NSC to revoke the suspension without imposing any conditions.
The hall in Jhapa was filled with supporters of Nembang, their cheers interrupting each of his justifications for his time in office. As the group broke up, a last, rhythmic chant of “Nepali football ko jay” (Victory to Nepali football) rang out through the room.
However, beyond that hall, the truth painted a different picture: a national team without a stage to compete, a coach without a game to oversee, and a sport currently facing its most critical struggle—not against an opponent on the field, but against its own management.
The frustration with the ANFA leadership led Patrick de Wilde, a Belgian coach with a UEFA professional license, to step down as the head coach of Nepal’s women’s team just one month into his one-year contract.
However, signs of optimism emerged on Friday following the selection of a new minister for the sports industry.
“The leadership within the NSC and other sports organizations will now consist of people with specialized knowledge in the field. Sports will no longer be a domain for political influence,” said Sasmit Pokharel as he took office as the Minister for Youth and Sports, along with the Minister for Education, Science and Technology on Friday.
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