Nepal is set to miss the 15th edition of the SAFF Championship, to be held in Bangladesh from November 4 to 17.
With the suspension not lifted even by the deadline of September 30 set by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), it is now certain that Nepal will miss the SAFF Championship for the first time in its history.
FIFA had suspended the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) indefinitely on June 24, citing third-party interference in the association’s affairs.
Since the suspension, Nepal has been losing one international competition after another. With this, it is now certain that Nepal will not participate in SAFF for the first time in the tournament’s 33-year history.
SAFF had earlier released a fixture list including Nepal, contingent on the suspension being lifted by September 30. But with the suspension not lifted within that deadline, Nepal is set to miss out.
This year’s SAFF Championship will have six participating countries. Group A includes hosts Bangladesh, along with Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Group B has India, Pakistan and the Maldives. Had the suspension been lifted, Nepal would have played in Group A.
Nepal had participated in all 14 previous editions of SAFF, finishing runners-up once and third once, besides reaching the semifinals five times.
At SAFF, Nepal would present its case as a contender, and players would also get a chance to showcase their ability. But missing out this time means that opportunity is lost.
Former Nepal national team captain, coach and former ANFA vice-president Upendra Man Singh says players have lost a platform to prove themselves by not participating in SAFF.
“This tournament comes every two or three years; playing it is also an opportunity for players to get contracts in professional football abroad, a platform for South Asian players. Now that’s being denied too,” he said. “I’ve felt that a political fight at the top is taking a huge toll on players today.”
Singh believes Nepali football has reached this point because of an arrogance born from the belief that leadership belonged to them alone.
“It’s that arrogance, pride, and the misuse of political power that led to this accident happening in football,” he said.
Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel, who is also the government’s spokesperson, hinted on Tuesday that Nepal’s participation in SAFF was no longer possible. He said it was already too late for SAFF and that preparations were underway to run the domestic league instead.
Asked when ANFA’s suspension might be lifted, Minister Pokharel said, “It’s already too late for SAFF. We’ve discussed with various players what to do if the suspension isn’t lifted. We need to run the domestic league. Since players have told us it’s been years since they played in a domestic league, we’re preparing for that.”
Marking his remarks, there is little likelihood of Nepal’s FIFA suspension being lifted anytime soon. Minister Pokharel had earlier said publicly that talks with FIFA had been positive and that the suspension would be lifted soon. But with no positive response from FIFA, the government has moved toward advancing domestic football activities instead.
Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has arrested ANFA treasurer Rabindra Joshi and accountant Sanjiv Pandey on match-fixing charges. With the investigation under way, ANFA officials are currently unreachable, pushing Nepali football further into uncertainty.
