Thirty-two teams divided in eight groups will battle hard to lift that coveted trophy on July 11. As always, select European and South American countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Italy, among a few others, are billed favorites to lift the cup. Though three Asian countries – South Korea, North Korea and Japan – are vying for the cup, it is everyone’s guess that they won’t make it to the final stages. Sadly, the gap between Asian football, on the one hand, and European and Latin American football, on the other, is still too wide to pin our hopes on these countries. That said, we must acknowledge that Asian nations like Japan and South Korea have come a long way and it is just a question of time before they regularly start giving some of the top footballing nations a run for their money.
Where does Nepal figure in all this discussion about the beautiful game? Sadly, in the world of football, Nepal is still a baby learning how to crawl. Things, though, need not have been as bad as it is now. Nepalis have the natural knack and athleticism to take to games and sports but that is hardly enough if we are to even make our presence felt in the international arena. What we need is sustained support from the state and that is something which is sorely missing. On the contrary, All Nepal Football Association is mostly in the news for all the wrong reasons. It is time for us to put our house in order and start a journey in the right direction. And that means making the game attractive in terms of both perks and pride. That, though, is easier said than done. That calls for a lot of vision, maturity, homework and planning. But let us at least try to embark on that journey so that we can hope to at least qualify for the World Cup, if not win it, in say 50 years from now.
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