Nepalese football in turmoil ahead of rematch with Vietnam team

Nepalese football fans protest in front of ANFA headquarters.

On the afternoon of October 12, a large number of fans gathered in front of the Nepal Football Association (ANFA) complex in Satdobato, demanding the restoration of the top-tier Nepal A-Division League.

After the 2023 season, the A-Division League was also planned to be organized over two years similar to what Vietnam's V.League did. However, the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons did not take place as planned. ANFA is planning to restart the tournament (2025/26 season) next December, but so far has not been able to reach an agreement with 14 clubs on the schedule, format, stadium, sponsorship, budget and other issues related to tournament management.

A meeting between ANFA and representatives of 14 teams was scheduled to be held today, October 12, but was eventually canceled. This is also the second time the meeting could not take place. This increased the dissatisfaction of Nepalese football clubs and fans, when the A-Division League could not return after 854 days.

At the protest, fans held banners demanding "save football" and "reform ANFA" because of "poor management and lack of transparency in budget management and administration".

Nepal national team trains in Ho Chi Minh City after losing 1-3 to Vietnam national team.

A few days ago, after leading Sri Lanka, currently ranked 197th in the FIFA rankings, to defeat Turkmenistan, ranked 138th, in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, coach Abdullah Al Mutairi did not forget to criticize ANFA.

The Kuwaiti coach, who was sacked as Nepal's national team coach in 2022, said: "The Nepalese said that removing me would make the team better. But after three years, Nepalese football has not improved as they said. It is clear that the problem is not with the players or the coaching, but with the organization, structure and football environment."

With 6 points after 3 matches, like Turkmenistan and Thailand in Group D, Sri Lanka is full of opportunities to participate in the Asian Cup for the first time. Meanwhile, the door is almost closed for Nepal as they still have no points in Group F. Coach Matt Ross and his team will play again with the Vietnamese team on October 14, also at Go Dau Stadium.