KATHMANDU, May 1: Nepali national football team head coach Abdullah Al Mutairi has called in additional 17 players for the closed camp training being held for the preparation of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. After the coach fired Rohit Chand in the absence of captain Kiran Chemchong, nine other players left the closed camp training program on Wednesday.
Earlier, a 23-member team was included in the closed camp training. However, after the exit of 10 players, Al Mutairi added 17 members to the remaining 13-member squad and announced a 30-member team.
National footballers dissatisfied with coach Al Mutairi
After Chand left the camp, players including Sujal Shrestha, Bimal Gharti Magar, Bishal Rai, Anjan Bista, Bishal Shrestha, Dinesh Rajbanshi, Ananta Tamang and Tej Tamang left the training program as well. The dissatisfied players have claimed that after they had demanded basic services and that they were being repeatedly pressured to leave the closed camp.
Similarly, the office-bearers, three vice-presidents and a member of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) had also demanded that a meeting of the working committee of the national football-governing body be held immediately to resolve the dispute between the national footballers and the head coach. However, the controversy is likely to escalate further after Al Mutairi continued the training program by adding 17 players to the national team.
