In the last decade, Nepal cricket has leaped far ahead in world cricket. Although it has not won major tournaments, the team has established itself as the “cardiac kids.” World cricket is talking about them.
But what about football? It was once deeply rooted in Nepal. Where is Nepali football now? A few questions often come to my mind: Where is our football going? Why don’t we have spectators in our leagues or tournaments anymore?
Let’s go back to the early 90s, the days when I started playing, watching, and following football. If you go through my old blogs, you will find how football has been a part of my life. Even today, I try to take some time to play futsal at least once a week.
In my childhood and youth days, we had many prominent players who ruled football in Nepal—players like Ganesh Thapa, YB Ghale (I heard his name but never got to watch him play), Mani Shah, Dhirendra Pradhan (who was once praised for his game in China), Raju Kaji Shakya ( I miss his long throw in) and Ajar Adhikari.
In the late 90s, we had players like Binod Kharel, Deepak Amatya, Balgopal Maharjan, Rajesh Manandhar (A.K.A. Danav), Dev Narayan, and Hari Khadka, among many others. The last batch of players I remember watching as I grew older were Anil Gurung and Jumanu Rai.
There were also players from my locality (Friends Club of Kopundole) like Ramsharan Chettri, Sujit KC, and Sushil KC (one of the best midfielders of our time) with whom I learned playing football.
Those 90s were truly golden days for Nepali football. I still remember many moments from that era—watching football in a stadium filled with a huge crowd cheering for their teams.
Now I wonder where all those days went.
For me, the downfall of Nepali football started when Galaxy School principal Geeta Rana and Ganesh Thapa had a power tussle. It could have been a great period for Nepali football to grow, but instead these two figures took over the Nepali football scene.
Then came the era of hiring African players in Nepali football. Our local clubs, which did not have sustainable financial policies, started hiring players with high salaries. Yes, they were powerful and entertaining. They helped Nepali clubs win matches and attract spectators.
However, the craving to win matches and entertain spectators made almost every club sign foreign players. The limited funds clubs had were spent on these players. Some clubs went bankrupt, some were forced to drop to lower divisions, and others are still struggling with loans.
In this situation, even though the All Nepal Football Association has grassroots programs and academies, we were not able to produce enough quality players. Even players developed through ANFA could not sustain themselves in Nepal by playing football.
Later, match-fixing scandals further damaged Nepali football. Many such incidents went unnoticed for years. When the Asian Football Confederation asked Nepal Police to take action against Nepali players involved in match fixing, it deeply shook the football community. Since then, Nepali football has struggled to rise from that trauma.
In later years, we had a promising player in Bimal Gharti Magar. Where is he now? He received great media exposure and even got opportunities to train in Europe. He was a rising star, but before he could reach success, he seemed to lose focus somewhere in the charm of media attention. The nightclub incident made his career fade.
So what next for Nepali football?
In my opinion, Nepali football really needs a player who can become an idol for the next generation. Just like Paras Khadka, Gyanendra Malla, and their era players changed the dynamics of Nepali cricket.
Maybe Nepali football needs another Mani Shah, another Ganesh Thapa, or a new Bimal Gharti Magar who can handle stardom and stay focused on the game.
Local clubs in Kathmandu still do not have their own grounds. Local bodies could coordinate with clubs to develop football grounds. Outside Kathmandu Valley there are open spaces where proper training grounds and football institutes could be built.
Nepal needs training institutes that focus not only on football but also on the overall development of players. Even if they cannot become professional footballers, they should have a second option in life.
Here are some of my suggestions.
First, the All Nepal Football Association needs to organize regular games.
A two-level league system could be introduced.
For Kathmandu Valley – Shahid Smarak League (around four months)
For outside the valley – provincial leagues in the east, west, and central regions.
Then the top ten teams from the Shahid Smarak League and the top three teams from each provincial league could compete in a national league for another four months with home-and-away matches.
Games should mostly be scheduled on weekends and in the evening to attract spectators.
Second, age-group leagues or school-level leagues should be organized regularly.
Third, all Nepali football clubs need sustainable sources of income to run football activities. Simply depending on ANFA funding will not develop Nepali football. The sports ministry, ANFA, and the clubs need to work together on how clubs can sustain themselves financially.
If we really want a strong national team, Nepal should hire a world-class coach and management team for at least five years.
And here is one thought.
Imagine a preseason friendly between Manchester United and Real Madrid being played at Pokhara Stadium, with the majestic 8000-meter Himalayan peaks rising in the background. Watching world-class football in such a setting would be something truly unique and could put Nepal on the global football map.
Anyway, let’s hope we get good leadership in the upcoming ANFA election.
Jai Nepali Football.
My Other Blog on Nepali Football
2 https://sangesh.com.np/blog/2020/08/football-my-passion-and-nepalese-football-scenario/
3 https://sangesh.com.np/blog/2020/09/nepalese-football-clubs-players-anfa-and-match-fixing/