Miles to go for Nepali football

Nepali football enjoys somewhat similar status to that of the Indian football but there is a stark difference over how the football governing bodies of the two nations handle the clubs in their respective countries.

Before competing in the final rounds of Asian Cup 2010, Indian national football team conducted a closed camp training for around a year. Indian team was led by British coach Bob Houghton.[break]

The camp was studded with more than two dozen star Indian footballers. All Indian Football Federation (AIFF), the football governing body of India, however, did not halt any regular football activities and conducted the games as per its annual calendar.

Nepal has also started preparations for the SAFF Championship some three months prior to the event and is on the last phase of its preparation for the event to begin from early December. Like India, Nepal also did not seem to halt any of its regular activities but instead added another tournament in its calendar -- Safal Pokhara Cup -- currently being held in Pokhara.

But one of the great differences between All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), the football governing body of Nepal and the AIFF is that AIFF, to reduce the financial burden of semi-professional Indian football clubs, decided to pay salaries of the players who could not fulfil their duties for the club owing to national duty or the training camp.

When Nepali clubs are compared to Indian football clubs in terms of financial condition and income sources, Nepali clubs are in a pitiable condition. Most of the Nepali clubs depend on donations from supporters and sponsors to meet a large part of their day-to-day expenses.

(FILE PHOTO)

But ANFA did not show any interest in paying those players in the national camp who could not fulfil their duties for their clubs, especially during the ongoing Safal Pokhara Cup.

Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC), one of the most successful clubs in the history of modern Nepali football failed to participate in the Safal Club due to scarcity of players as seven influential members of the squad were in the national team´s training camp. MMC now has only few ones left with the team as the club did not renew the contracts of about a dozen out of the 25 players who featured in the last edition of the league.

MMC had requested ANFA either to release its players during Safal Cup or let it hire foreign unregistered players for the Safal Cup. But ANFA turned down both of its requests and finally the club had no other option than to pull out of the tournament. Because, how could a club play with seven or eight players in the tournament. MMC is the team having the highest number of fans in the Pokhara. The absence of MMC in the event hampered both the club as well as the organizer of the tournament.

The greatest mistake MMC made was releasing about a dozen of players before the end of the season which was against the regulations of ANFA and now it has cost the club dearly. Similarly, as the apex football body, ANFA needed to have intervened MMC´s move of releasing the players during the mid-season, but ANFA turned a blind eye. MMC´s move and ANFA´s disregard toward that move is sure to make some talented young players passive for the remaining time of the year including potential players like Ganesh Khadka and others.

(FILE PHOTO)

This is probably the first time a genuine and serious problem has arisen among ANFA and clubs regarding the service of players -- whether clubs should be the first priority or country. No doubt, the national side should be given the first priority. But according to FIFA rules, a player could be kept in closed camp only for 15 days prior to the tournament. But ANFA´s motive of keeping the players is to make the national side for the SAFF.

But ANFA should conduct camp in such a way that both the parties -- ANFA and club -- are in a win-win situation. ANFA, the most powerful and wealthy among all sports association in the country should itself have paid the salary of the players on behalf of the club or shifted the Safal Cup for an appropriate time. But ANFA took none of these steps.

ANFA President Ganesh Thapa had time and again proudly said that Nepal had taken great stride in professional football and that players were getting Rs 50,000 per month. It was the very MMC which had paid a record amount of Rs 50,000 per month to striker Santosh Sahukhala.

Thapa should not forget clubs like MMC, Mega Three Star and others have no lesser role than ANFA in making Nepali football a professional one and at the same time without having any permanent income source.

No one can ignore the role of MMC in the development of Nepali football. Within a short time of its arrival in the top flight football in 1987, it has won half a dozen league titles and more than two dozen prestigious knockout tournament titles.

The heavy expenses the club has been making for football since its establishment speaks volumes about the club´s love for football and its contributions to making Nepali football professional.