Kathmandu, June 23
All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) on Wednesday decided to recall all 10 national football team players who had left the team after a tussle with head coach Abdullah Al Mutairi.
The decision was taken by the recently elected executive committee of ANFA. The newly appointed president of ANFA, Pankaj Bikram Nembang had said he would decide on the future of the players and coach immediately.
Rohit Chand, Anjan Bista, Bimal Gharti Magar, Ananta Tamang, Bishal Rai, Bishal Shrestha, Sujal Shrestha, Tej Tamang, Dinesh Rajbanshi and Suman Lama had left the hotel they were being kept after arguments with coach Al Mutairi.
The executive meeting also held discussions about the future of Al Mutairi. An ANFA panel that investigated the case had asked ANFA to find an alternative to the coach. The new executive committee has started the process, but it is not as simple as the committee needs to ensure that Nepal’s relationship with countries that support Nepali football does not deteriorate.
Newly appointed general secretary Kiran Rai has been tasked with the responsibility to talk to all parties to solve the issue as calmly as possible.
