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Nabil Three Star Club lost in the semifinals in the first edition of the President’s Cup held in Kathmandu and in the second edition Manang Marsyangdi Club representing Nepal could not go through group round held in Malaysia. MMC came third out of four countries with a win against Vakhsh, Tajikistan while in the third edition, Police advanced all the way to the final where they lost to the Kyrgyz outfit Dordoi Dynamo, and again made it to the last four in the fourth edition last year.
The Police team paid dearly for underestimating the opponents in this edition. An over-confident Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha had rated his team as the strongest in Group ‘A’ ahead of the tournament.
The league winner of 2006 has been representing Nepal in the President’s Cup for the last three years in absence of ‘A’ Division league in the country due to internal wrangling in Nepali football. National league is the backbone for development of country’s football and no team, however good it may be, can get around it.
The performance of Police in the last three years has in fact vindicated the importance of national league. While the Police romped all the way to the final in 2007 following the league winning campaign, their performance has gradually deteriorated thereafter.
They put up a commendable show in reaching the semifinals last year despite lack of national league but this year they could not brush off the rustiness and lack of matches in absence of league and performed miserably.
The other teams in the group had come winning a long competitive league in their respective countries and that counted in the end. WAPDA coach Khalid Butt praised Police’s performance but pointed out that lack of stamina and fitness in the second half was reflected in the scoreline.
At least five members the Police squads were not match fit before the game, however, four of them played in the first and second matches. Police team also did not have adequate practice matches with other international teams for the tournament. And when they had chance to play one, they failed to make proper use of it.
They had played Bangladesh national team, which had come here to prepare for the AFC Challenge Cup, one month before the President’s Cup but gave undue importance to the Seven-A-Side tournament and turned out for the friendly two hours after playing Seven-A-Side in the afternoon.
It’s about time the football administrators start to think for Nepali football and not just about power and financial benefits. The warring All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and Nepal Football Association (NFA), who never get tired of taking credit for the organization of qualifiers, should also be brave enough to accept responsibility for debacle at both international and club level.
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