First division league football has turned full circle after 20 years. The state and conduct of the game has reverted to conditions prevailing two decades ago.
The current league has clearly shown the glaring shortcomings and malady affecting the game in Nepal.
There is a wide gap in the standard of the teams participating in the tournament.
The tournament has been scheduled at the worst possible time of the year which not only inhibits good play but also discourages spectator participation. Conditions are such that good players also face the risk of injury. The country has only one stadium of international acceptance and games during this period cause irreparable damage to the ground.
These problems had been identified 20 years ago and rather that finding a new and better solution we seem to have reverted to the same scenario prevalent in the early years of the league.
I feel that ANFA should immediately take some steps to ensure that football maintains the interest of the spectators and also enhance the standard of teams in the ANFA league.
ANFA should have concentrated on the 6 top teams rather than 12 teams. This would result in more funds for the top teams who could then make a greater effort in improving the standards of their players. Similarly there top teams could also promote their own Junior teams which could have a separate league of their own. This would lead to a pool of fresh talent which could be trained for the future senior teams.
ANFA should plan their annual calendar well in advance taking into consideration weather conditions and also the requirement of participation in international tournaments. As such the league should be scheduled towards the end of the rainy season – August and other tournaments should follow. The preceding months could be devoted to maintenance of the ground conditions at the stadium.
In other to boost spectator attendance matches should be scheduled on week – ends.
I am sure that the above few suggestions could go a long way in promoting the game of football in Nepal and at the same time, improve the standard of our players.
Tashi Ghale
