Sankata thrashed Kathmandu Club 3-0 on Wednesday in its last league match of the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull B Division League and clinched a promotion ticket. Meanwhile, Madhyapur Youth Association defeated Boys Union Club 3-1 to keep its promotion hope alive.[break]
After the promotion of Sankata, there is only one promotion quota left and Madhyapur and Birgunj Youth Academy are the contenders for it. Sankata has 30 points from 14 matches and the top position on the points table while Birgunj has 27 points from 13 matches and the second position. Madhyapur has 26 points from 13 matches and the third position.
Madhyapur will qualify only if it wins its last match against Star Club and Birgunj loses or plays a draw against Mahabir Club.
The result of the match between Birgunj and Mahabir will decide the champion of the ´B´ division league.
Sumin Mainali, Bikram Adhikari and Ritesh Thapa scored a goal each to seal victory for Sankata in the match played at the Nepal Police Academy, Maharajgunj on Wednesday.
After the loss against Sankata, relegation threats loom over Kathmandu Club. Kathmandu Club would be out of relegation threats even if it plays draw against Samajik Youth in its last match.
Meanwhile, former national striker Nirajan Rayamajhi scored twice and Kishor Duwa added a goal for Madhyapur while Bijay Rai scored the consolation goal for Boys Union. Boys Union has 16 points from 13 matches and is out of relegation zone.
Celebration at Sankata
Sankata Club expressed its joy over securing promotion to the ´A´ division league. “We have witnessed sorrow and joy within the last one and half years,” said Indra Man Tuladhar, the club president.
“The club faced relegation for the first time in its history in 2009 and as a president, I was upset by then. Now, we are again promoted to the top flight,” he added.
Sankata Club was established in 1950 (2008 BS) and was the champion in 2037, 2040 and 2042 BS.
After the promotion was confirmed on Wednesday, President Tuladhar said that the club would focus on growing into a professional football club. “We played football just to stay on the top flight league in the past but we´ll turn the club into a professional football club in days to come,” said Tuladhar.
He said that the club would continue the contracts with the current coach Shyam Mali and some players. “We will try to bring in some national and top class foreign players and hire a senior coach,” said Tuladhar. “We have a regular income source of around Rs 5 million and we´ll sign sponsorship deals in future. We´ll invest around Rs 10 million for football,” he added.
Investigation on match fixing
Though Sankata Club clinched promotion to the ´A´ division league, All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) is investigating a match-fixing allegation against the club.
Star Club has lodged a complaint against Sankata Club, its coach Shyam Mali and Star Club´s own defender Roshan Bhandari as match-fixing suspects after Sankata´s 4-1 win over Star Club.
“We are probing the match-fixing allegation. Star Club has claimed that Mali and Bhandari fixed the match over phone calls,” said Mahesh Bista, the ANFA vice-president and the coordinator of the probe committee.
However, Sankata Club President Indra Man Tuladhar, who is also CEO at ANFA, denied the allegation. “The match-fixing allegations are baseless. We are ready to face any action if the probe committee finds us guilty,” said Tuladhar.
Related story
A division league: Sankata beats Chyasal
