The first division league has been obstructed for the last three years. The dispute between two parallel bodies -- ANFA and Nepal Football Association (NFA) -- came to an end on December 7, 2008, on the special effort of Minister for Youth and Sports Gopal Man Shakya.
The two sides reached a seven-point agreement. Among others, the two agreed to draft a new and democratic statute of ANFA and hold the obstructed A division league by April. ANFA president Ganesh Thapa is coordinator of the A division football management committee and general secretary of NFA Indra Man Tuladhar is joint coordinator.
The junior A division league was successfully held after the agreement but the most popular league of the nation -- Martyrs´ Memorial ´A´ Division League Football -- could not be held on time.
The management committee has not only failed to hold the tournament but also failed to fix a new date for it, giving enough space to doubt whether the two bodies had reached the agreement only for personal interests and sharing of posts and benefits.
The committee has not yet officially disclosed the reason for the delay. One of the reasons for the delay could be the upcoming ANFA election to be held in September. The official seems to be centered on the election rather than holding the league.
ANFA vice president and spokesperson Lalit Krishna Shrestha said the league could not be held in April due to the unavailability of ground as National Games and other tournaments were also held at the same time at the Dasharath Stadium.
"Even if we had begun the tournament, we would have been forced to break it as the league takes long time for completion and the rainy season is at the doors. Besides this, we were also cautious not to lose the charm of the first division league.
A total of 20 teams are supposed to take part in the A division league. this is the biggest number of teams to take part in the league in Nepal´s history. Both ANFA and NFA had upgraded four teams each for the A division league, as both of these associations had conducted B division leagues separately.
"We will resume the league at a right time. But we are yet to fix a date. We will also discuss about the format of the league as there are nearly two dozens of clubs to compete in it", says Shrestha.
"The money collected from the sale of tickets from this time will be given to the clubs. Had the league been held in April, the clubs would have got little profit as large number of spectators would not come to watch the matches in the rainy season," says Bijay Narayan Manandhar, an NFA official.
Bikash Malla, Nepal Army skipper and a national player, says that the league must be held in September/October. "Most of the teams have not conducted training for a long time as the league was disrupted and now they can get enough time for practice. I think the players are convinced to hold the league later (Sept/Oct)," he said, adding, "I think the league will resume this year."
National team captain Rakesh Shrestha said he was optimistic that the league will be held in September/October.
Related story
Chyasal wins B Division title, NRT back to top flight
