KATHMANDU, April 29: Nepali national football team members have expressed their dissatisfaction against head coach of the team, Abdullah Al Mutairi, and said that they had to leave the closed camp being held for the preparation for the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers due to him.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the dissatisfied players claimed that after they had demanded basic services, they were being repeatedly pressured to leave the closed camp. According to them, head coach Mutairi had said, “You started the war and I ended it.”  

In the absence of captain Kiran Chemjong, Rohit Chand had demanded to provide basic services to the team. However, the coach fired Chand and ignored the demand of the players instead, according to the players. When they put forth a query to the head coach, he claimed that he had no choice and asked them to leave the camp after constant pressure, due to which the players left the hotel.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the working style of the coach, the players in the training have also commented that the conduct of Al Mutairi is wrong. All the 10 players who boycotted the closed training session were present at the press conference.

Similarly, according to the players, they had informed All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) about the dispute with the coach but no action has been taken despite ANFA president Karma Tsering Sherpa saying that he would inform the players later as elections were approaching. On the other hand, General Secretary Indra Man Tuladhar said that ANFA would study the issue and do the needful.

Nepal, which is preparing for the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, to be held in Kuwait from June 8 to 14, is in a difficult group. The top team of the group will be selected for the Asian Cup 2023 to be held in China. Similarly, the runners-up in five groups will also get a chance to participate in the competition.

 
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