KATHMANDU, Dec 20: IMS Group, the authorized distributor of Samsung mobile in Nepal, felicitated the members of the national football team with Samsung Galaxy J5 mobile sets in the capital on Monday.
The 27-member Nepali team, including 23 players, was feted for winning the title of the AFC Solidarity Cup held in Malaysia from November 2 to 15. Nepal had overcome Macau 1-0 in the final to lift its first ever Asian title. Besides players, coaches Gyotoku Koji and Raju Kaji Shakya, manager Birat Jung Shahi and physiotherapist Suraj Bhusal were also handed over the mobile phone sets.
IMS Group President and CEO Dikesh Malhotra and honorary President of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Tashi Ghale felicitated the team.
Speaking on behalf of the players, the vice captain of national football team Biraj Maharjan thanked IMS for recognition of their achievement. “We will perform even better in the coming days and try to make you all more happy,” Maharjan said.
Coach Raju Kaji Shakya said that such reward would motivate players to work harder in the future and perform better. “Now the team has aim of winning SAFF Championship,” Shakya said.
Tashi Ghale, the honorary president of ANFA, thanked the players for the win and also appealed to the private sectors to support players for their achievements. He also said that the team was capable of winning SAFF Championship.
In a different note, Ghale also criticized the football governing body of the country ANFA for depriving national champion Three Star from participating in the playoff rounds of the AFC Cup.
Three Star was excluded from competing in the AFC Cup due to negligence of ANFA after it failed to register the club on the deadline set by Asian Football Confederation (AFC) despite letter sent for the purpose on three different occasions.
“It is really disappointing and an irresponsible part of ANFA for not registering Three Star. This incident happened at a time when football was gaining momentum,” he said referring to three titles Nepal won in the year 2016. “ANFA leadership, especially the president and general secretary should take responsibility of this negligence,” he said.
He also pointed out the need of representative from football clubs in the executive body of ANFA.
“There is not a single representative of A Division clubs in the 16-member executive body of ANFA. The football leadership must take the club together to run football in the country,” Ghale said.
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