A meeting of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) officials and representatives of the top eight teams of the Martyrs Memorial A Division League, held at the ANFA headquarters, Satdobato, on Sunday took the decision to this effect. [break]
According to a press release issued by the ANFA, the decision to conduct the league outside the capital was made owing to the unavailability of ground as ANFA is hosting the final round of AFC Challenge Cup in the capital from March 3-18. "As we are hosting one of the prestigious international football tournaments in the capital we could not make the ground available for the national league," Lalit Krishna Shrestha, the vice-president and spokesperson of ANFA told Republica.
Ten teams, including top eight teams of the Martyrs Memorial A Division League and top two A division teams from districts will participate in the national league.
ANFA however, has not yet fixed the venue for the national league. "We will ask district associations to present their bids for holding the national league. The district association that forwards the best proposal will get to hold the league," Shrestha said.
Though the ANFA had previously decided to hold the league in double round robin format, it has now opted for single round robin format citing the time required by the national team to prepare for the AFC Challenge Cup.
Similarly, the meeting has also decided to make work permit compulsory for foreign players playing professional football in Nepal.
The compulsory work permit provision for foreigner players has yet to be enforced. All the top flight clubs other than departmental teams were studded with foreigner players.
MMC´s proposal rejected
Meanwhile, the meeting has also decided to reject the proposals of Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) to either release its nine players undergoing close camp training for the SAFF Championship or allow it to hire foreign players (unregistered) for the Safal Pokhara Cup International Invitational Inter-club Football Tournament to begin from Tuesday.
The MMC had earlier threatened to pull out of the tournament if both the proposals were denied by the ANFA. Regarding hiring the foreign players for the Safal Cup, the press release has said that a club can enroll foreign players only as per the ANFA Regulations-2067 under TMS system. According to the regulation, a club can hire foreign player only when the transfer window is open. The next transfer window opens on November 15 and closes on December 8.
Meanwhile, MMC President Tashi Ghale has said that the board meeting of the club to be held on Monday will decide whether the club will compete in the Safal Cup or not.
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