The eight were axed from among the total 36 players called for preliminary round that began on Monday. Now, there are 28 players for the second phase of training. Five more players will be left out before the final squad is declared. The selection was made by coach Graham Roberts and assistant coaches Meghraj KC and Upendra Man Singh, stated a press release issued by All Nepal Football Association on Thursday. [break]
Malla had sustained knee injury during National League and is yet to recover while Ojha had sustained ankle injury in the training.
The other players to be left out are Manang Marshyangdi Club custodian Bishal Shreatha, Bishal Rai A and B of Jawalakhel, Nepal Police Club midfielder Ramesh Katwal, NRT goalie Raju Yogi and Himalayan Sherpa midfielder Rupesh KC. Rai A is forward and B a midfielder. Rai A and B did not attend the training.
Nepal Army Club players Tanka Basnet, Tek Bahadur Budathoki and Nawayug Shrestha, who were called for the first time in the national team training, also made it to the second phase of selection. All three are midfielders. Now the number of Army players for the second phase of training has reached five. Custodian Bikash Malla and midfielder Raju Tamang are other regular members of national team to be selected for the second phase.
Defender Sabindra Shrestha of MMC, also called in for the national team training for the first time, secured a place for the second round training. Defenders Sandip Rai and Deepak Bhusal, midfielder Nirajan Khadka, winger Bijay Gurung, forwards Sujal Shrestha, Santosh Sahukhala and Anil Gurung are the other players named for the second phase of training.
Similarly, Kunjan Gurung of Sherpa, who made debut in Nepali football in the current season, has also been called for the second phase training. Defender Sagar Thapa and winger Jagjeet Shrestha are other players from Sherpa. Jeetendra Karki of New Road Team (NRT) also made it to the second phase.
Former Nepali international Parbat Pandey of Nepal Police Club, excluded from the national team since 2008 Challenge Cup final rounds, also made it to the second phase of training. Along with Pandey, the number of Police players in the second phase has reached six including forwards Bharat Khawas and Jumanu Rai, glovesman Ritesh Thapa, defender Rabin Shrestha and winger Bhola Silwal.
Three Star goalie Kiran Chemjong, defenders Biraj Maharjan and Bikash Singh Chhetri, and APF striker Ganesh Lawati have also been roped in for the second phase training. Star defender Rohit Chand who plays for I-League side HAL also made it to the second round.
The AFC Challenge Cup features eight teams from third tier footballing nations of Asia. Group A consists of Nepal, Turkmenistan, Maldives and Palestine and group B includes DPR Korea, India, Tajikistan and the Philippines.
Box
Goalkeepers: Kiran Chemjong, Bikash Malla, Ritesh Thapa
Defenders: Sagar Thapa, Sandip Rai, Rohit Chand, Rabin Shrestha, Biraj Maharjan, Sabindra Shrestha, Bikash Singh Chhetri, Dipak Bhusal, Jeetendra Karki
Midfielders: Raju Tamang, Nirajan Khadka, Bhola Silwal, Bijay Gurung, Parbat Pandey, Jagjeet Shrestha, Tek Bahadur Budathoki, Tanka Basnet, Nawayug Shrestha, Kunjan Gurung
Forwards: Bharat Khawas, Anil Gurung, Santosh Sahukhala, Jumanu Rai, Ganesh Lawati, Sujal Shrestha
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