KATHMANDU, Feb 18: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) short listed 27 players from among 30 on Friday for a closed camp training for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. Nepal is hosting the group ´D´ qualifiers of the AFC Challenge Cup Football Tournament in April.
The 30-member first selection was made about a week ago from the preliminary squad of 48 players. [break]
Four goalkeepers, seven defenders, nine midfielders along with seven strikers are currently in the 27 member squad.
The selected players are as follows:
Goalkeepers: Bishal Shrestha, Kiran Chemjong, Bikash Malla and Ritesh Thapa.
Defenders: Sagar Thapa, Biraj Maharjan, Bikash Singh Chhetri, Deepak Bhusal, Sandip Rai, Rohit Chand and Rabin Shrestha.
Midfielders: Raju Tamang, Bholanath Silwal, Nirajan Khadka, Yogesh Shrestha, Yogesh Gurung, Jagjit Shrestha, Anil Ojha, Nirajan Malla and Shiva Shrestha.
Forwards: Jumanu Rai, Anil Gurung, Buddha Chemjong, Bharat Khawas, Ganesh Lawati, Santosh Shaukhala and Sujal Shrestha.
Dropped players: Rupak Shrestha (goalkeeper), and Som Bahadur Malla and Bishnu Sunuwar (defenders).
Nepal are slated in the group alongside North Korea, Sri Lanka and the playoff winners between Bhutan and Afghanistan. The group D qualifiers will kick off in Kathmandu on April 7.