Though Nepal has never advanced beyond the semifinals in the past, the home team led by US-based Polish coach Jack Stefanowski is optimistic of winning the title this time round. The Nepali team started training for the tournament on June 20. More than 40 players were called up for the first phase of training camp and 28 from among them were selected a month later for the second phase. The final 23-member national squad will be announced later. [break]
The draw and fixtures for the tournament will be unveiled on Tuesday in Kathmandu. ANFA is also working to arrange friendly matches with foreign teams in August as part of the national team´s preparations.
"We are very hopeful of winning the championship and we should remain positive," said Stefanowski, who is assisted by Richard Orlowski in his job, after a recent training camp at the Chyasal ground in Lalitpur. "It is a fantastic opportunity to play at home."
Nepal has won the regional tournament only once back in 1993 in Bangladesh. It is the biggest achievement of Nepali football to date. However, the tournament was only a part of the South Asian Games (SAG) then.
Therefore, as Stefanowski said, this year´s SAFF Championship will be an opportunity as well as a challenge for the home team. "It will be challenging as well to lift the trophy as the tournament will be competitive and all teams are of similar level."
Stefanowski has included U-16 star striker Bimal Gharti Magar and defender Ananta Tamang in the team. But the two are currently playing in the Second SAFF U-16 Championship on home turf and will join the national team training after the age-group tournament concludes on Tuesday.
Similarly, defender Rohit Chand is playing professional football in Indonesia while forward Bharat Khawas is undergoing cadet training of the Nepal Army. They are likely to join the national team training camp a couple of weeks prior to the tournament.
"The team has a nice mix of experienced and young players. I hope the inclusion of young players will have a positive impact on the team," said Stefanowski. "We are waiting for confirmation from Chand and Khawas, and ANFA has been working on it."
According to the coach, the fitness of the players has improved significantly after they began training. "The fitness level has improved tremendously and more importantly they have transformed into a team."
Meanwhile, midfielder Raju Tamang, who was injured during a training session on July 8, has resumed training after a two-week rest and none of the other players in the team has serious injuries. "Tamang has started light training from Monday and I am optimistic that he will be back in the team in his previous form."
Players undergoing training
Goalkeeper: Kiran Chemjong, Ritesh Thapa, Bikesh Kutu, Bishal Shrestha
Defender: Sandeep Rai, Sagar Thapa, Rabin Shrestha, Sabindra Shrestha, Palsang Lama, Bijay Dhimal, Biraj Maharjan
Midfielder: Bhola Silwal, Bijay Gurung, Raju Tamang, Prakash Budhathoki, Jagjeet Shrestha, Nirajan Khadka, Bikram Lama, Sulav Maskey, Shiva Shrestha, Pradeep Maharjan, Tanka Basnet, Tek Bahadur Budhathoki
Forward: Jumanu Rai, Santosh Sahukhala, Anil Gurung
Not in the training: Rohit Chand (defender), Ananta Tamang (defender), Bharat Khawas (forward), Bimal Gharti Magar (forward)
Coach: Jack Stefanowski, Assistant coach: Richard Orlowski
Related story
Nepal secures historic win against India, enters SAFF Women’s C...
_20240311121839.jpg)
