Kathmandu, December 5
The first edition of the SAFF Women’s Club Championship is kicking off today in Kathmandu. This tournament marks the beginning of a new chapter in South Asian football.
Two matches will be played on the opening day at the Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwar. The first match, between Transport United Ladies FC of Bhutan and Karachi FC of Pakistan, will begin at 2 PM.
Similarly, Nepal’s league champion APF FC will compete against Bangladesh’s Nasrin Sports Academy in the match starting at 6 PM. APF will play under the captaincy of Anita Basnet, while Sanjida Akhtar will lead Nasrin Academy.
For the first time, five teams from South Asia, including Nepal’s APF Club, are participating in the SAFF Women’s Club Championship. Except for Maldives and Sri Lanka, the league champion clubs from the remaining South Asian nations are competing. APF qualified as the champion of Nepal’s Women’s League.
During Thursday’s pre-match conference, coaches and captains of the participating teams said they were prepared and committed to giving their best performance.
APF captain Anita Basnet said she was excited to play the inaugural tournament on home ground. She added that the team would try its best to deliver strong results.
“We are very excited. This tournament is happening for the first time, and that too on our home ground. APF is playing, so the whole team is eager for tomorrow’s match,” Anita said at the pre-match conference held on Thursday.
She also expressed confidence that APF has a strong chance of winning the title if the team performs well.
Nepal’s three prominent players, Sabitra Bhandari, Preeti Rai, and Angila Tumbapo Subba, are currently playing for foreign clubs, so they are not included in the APF squad.
The APF squad is dominated by national team players who recently returned from the Three Nations International Women’s Friendly Football Tournament in Indonesia.
For this championship, APF has brought in Nepal Police Club defender Puja Rana, young forward Meena Deuba, and Tribhuvan Army Club defender Bimala BK — all national team players.
Goalkeeper for APF will be Anajan Magar. Sabitri Kisan and Lila Joshi have been included as additional goalies.
In defense, besides Geeta, Puja, and Bimala, the national team players include Hira Kumari Bhujel, Nisha Thokar, Sajani Thokar, Manmaya Damai, and Pratiksha Chaudhary.
The midfield includes captain Anita Basnet, Renuka Nagarkoti, Saru Limbu, Savita Rana Magar, and Saraswati Hamal, along with Hima Rawat and Roshni Bohora Chhetri.
The forwards include Rashmi Kumari Ghising, Meena Deuba, Anita KC, Kusum Khatriwada, and Shobha Kumari Pradhan.
Nasrin Sports Academy is the champion of the Bangladesh Women’s Football League. As league champions, they are participating in the SAFF Club Women’s Championship.
The team is led by Sanjida Akhtar, who has played for the Bangladesh national team. The squad includes several national and U-20 national team players.
All matches of the championship will be broadcast live on Himalayan Television.
