ANFA denied Jawalakhel participation in the tournament citing untimely registration of players against the new Players Registration Regulation, which states that a club must register players 72 hours prior to a tournament. [break]Jawalakhel had started the registration process on Sunday, the very day the tie-sheet draw for the tournament was made.
Following ANFA´s move, Jawalakhel had called an emergency board meeting on Monday. The meeting criticized ANFA´s act of drawing the tie-sheet 23 hours prior to the tournament and asking clubs to register players 72 hours before the tournament.
The meeting, which passed the proposal to condemn ANFA´s decision, also urged ANFA to focus on the development of football in the nation rather than on individual benefits of its top officials. The meeting also blamed ANFA for providing the format of the tournament only three days before the kickoff.
Jawalakhel General Secretary Manamohan KC said that players were unable to arrive in the capital on time as they were stranded on the highway due to landslide.
He also said another meeting to be held later would decide on the club´s participation in the first division and other knockout tournaments to be organized by ANFA later this year.
Bauddha Club, drawn against Jawalakhel in the opening match of the tournament, were declared winners on the same day.
MMC take on RCT Tuesday
High spending Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) will play Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) in their first match of the tournament on Tuesday.
MMC who finished fifth in the league last season have come up with ambitious plans for the new season with 11 new players and Bal Gopal Maharjan as their new coach. The arrival of striker Santosh Sahukhala, who scored 19 goals for Three Star last season, with a record annual fee of Rs 600,000 has also boosted the morale of MMC.
Deepak Bhusal, Nirajan Khadka, Naresh KC, Sujal Shrestha, Nabin Maharjan, Bijay Gurung, Subash Rai and Umesh Uprety will also be seen in the colors of MMC who will come with a new team formation.
RCT who finished ninth in the league last season are also not in the mood to give up easily. However, RCT will miss striker Deepak Rai who scored nine goals for the team in the league last season as he is not registered in ANFA, while midfielder Uttam Gurung has moved to Bauddha Club.
Referee refreshers course begins
A three-day football referee refreshers course began on Monday in the capital. Altogether 35 referees including two females are participating in the course organized with the view to bringing them up-to-date on the latest laws of the game changed by FIFA, the football governing body of the world. New FIFA referees will be selected on the basis of the course. Fitness test of the referees will also be conducted at the end of the course. Former FIFA referees Buddhi Bahadur Gurung, Surendra Shikhrakar and Pema Dolma Lama are the instructors.
Related story
Mixed results for host Jawalakhel
