Thapa on Monday sent a jumbo delegation to NSC Member Secretary Yubaraj Lama with a letter of memorandum under leadership of Sagar Thapa, the skipper of national football team. [break]
The NSC Employee Association has alleged Thapa of misbehaving with them during SAFF Championship held from August 31 to September 11 in Kathmandu.
The Employee Association has also submitted a letter of memorandum to Lama demanding quick action against Thapa.
The team led by Sagar Thapa comprised men’s and women’s national team players, representatives of A, B and C division clubs, representatives of district football associations, coaches, referees besides ANFA officials.
Even the U-16 team that recently qualified for the finals of AFC U-16 Championship had joined the delegation. The U-16 team stays at hostel run by ANFA at Satdobato, Lalitpur.
The memorandum that skipper Sagar Thapa handed over to Lama reads, “Handful of people is trying to give political color to a minor incident in an unfair way against the ANFA President. We football lovers have serious concern over the issue.”
“We are confident that member secretary shall take the leadership to investigate the facts and sort out the matter.”
Receiving the memorandum, Member Secretary Lama said that he was amazed to see such huge ANFA delegation.
“It was not necessary to bring such a huge crowd just to submit a memorandum. I thought you have come to celebrate the victory of U-16 team that qualified for AFC Championship finals,” said Lama in satiric tone.
PHOTO COURTESY: NSC
National football team’s captain Sagar Thapa (3rd right) hands a memorandum to NSC Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama at the National Sports Council, Tripureshwar on Monday.
“We all know football is a popular in Nepal, you need not prove it through a crowd,” he went on.
Pointing that 90 percent of the dispute stems from insufficient training of ANFA volunteers, Lama vowed to sort out the issue through discussions.
“If the behavior was intentional it must be corrected. As a member secretary I have all rights to take action, but that must be done for the benefit of the Nepali sports.”
Talking to reporters after submitting the memorandum, skipper Thapa said he was there to solve the issue rather than to protest against anyone.
He said, “To defend Ganesh Thapa is to save football in Nepal and no one can run ANFA in the way Thapa does.”
Asked if he and the national team were being used by the ANFA President, Thapa said, “This is a serious question. I will think about it and let you know if I know anything about it.”
Meanwhile, a member of the national squad said that they were unaware about the issue before arriving at the Dasharath Stadium premises.
“We thought we were summoned to discuss about a tournament that a national team is going to play in future. But President Thapa briefed us that he has been facing a hard time and that they should speak in his favor,” the national player said, insisting anonymity.
ANFA Vice-president and spokesperson Lalit Krishna Shrestha insisted that the delegation members were self-motivated and not sent by President Thapa.
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