Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Nepali national football team for beating East Timor twice in the first round of World Cup 2014 Asian qualifiers last week at the Dashrath Stadium. The victories, 2-1 in the first match and 5-0 in the second match, were joyous moments for all Nepalis. Although the victories came against a weaker-ranked side at home ground, it was nonetheless a result of laudable efforts from the players, coaches, and officials. The victories are a morale booster for the national team, fans and officials. Nepal is participating in the World Cup qualifiers after a decade, and the victories were a treat for the football loving population, who had not witnessed such a performance by the national side for a long time.



There are a few things that helped the team achieve the resounding victories. The coach, the players, the continuation of exposure for the players and home advantage are among the reasons. The players, most of them young, worked hard; the coach, Englishman Graham Roberts, ensured that the players not only played with their skills and his strategy but also maintained discipline. The exclusion of Santosh Sahukhala, one of the most prolific scorers in domestic league, for his indiscipline was a shock to the fans, but Roberts extracted such a performance from players that his absence was rarely felt. Nepal long needed a prolific and tough coach with a high-level of confidence in the Nepali players, and in Roberts, All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has found one.



Nepal will next meet Jordan, a much higher-ranked team, later this month for qualification to the third and main round of the qualifiers. There have been rumors that ANFA may agree to play both the matches in Jordan, like East Timor did against us, to save expenses—ANFA can get away with just the traveling expenses with Jordan likely to provide accommodation, like we did to East Timor, if ANFA agrees to play both matches there. But that would greatly compromise our chance to qualify to the next round for saving a few bucks. Playing in front of a big home crowd is always an advantage and that is precisely why the governing bodies put such a premium on away goals in case of a stalemate after completion of two legs. The Nepali public will also get to see where our footballers stand with their own eyes, rather than hearing about the results through the media, if Nepal hosts a leg.



The historic wins against East Timor and the pride with which the nation celebrated must have encouraged ANFA to continue what has been good, and work on the weaker areas. We hope the national football team will bring more pride to the nation in the coming days.

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