| Another Litmus Test For Nepali Booters
The South Asian Big Game will start January 26 in Dhaka. Will Nepal repeat history, without letting a feuding culture influence adversely their performance at the regional carnival? Commentary by Sushil Thapa.
All is not well with Nepali football. Indications are alarming and disturbing. The game has taken a dramatic tumble in terms of development and international performances over the years.
The on going tug-of-war between the two rival All Nepal Football Associations, led by Geeta Rana and Ganesh Thapa respectively, has seriously impacted football development and activities for the last two years much to our disbelief. Efforts by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the world football governing body to resolve the ensuing ANFA (All Nepal Football Association) feud has been pathetic and minimal.
If Thapa has the blessing of AFC, the National Sport Council, the apex sports body is solidly behind Rana. The latest elections held by both camps have further compounded the crisis. As a consequence, thousands of promising footballers across the country have been left confused and stranded. It's a shame that AFC is doing very little to end the awful standoff. This evidently is a classic example of sports smeared by politics.
These ominous developments have overshadowed the fact that we are a nation blessed with talented booters. Despite the lack of opportunities, our footballers have dazzled time and again on international turfs, sending feelers to the world that we, too, can play good football. Should we have a professional approach, strong and effective association, coupled with adequate resources and physical facilities, we surely can become a force to be reckoned with in international football. Having said so, we have a long way to go and a whole lot of things to do. But that's easier said than done.
Fortunately our international participation has not ceased. We continue to participate in tournaments with regularity, though with little success. Our last international participation was the 2002 World Cup qualifying matches. Thankfully the national team rounded off their engagement with some pride and dignity, bringing cheers to their subdued supporters back home. Like in the past they were not buried under an avalanche of goals, instead they turned in an exhilarating brand of football and recorded the first ever victory in a World Cup qualifier against Macao. Since then the national team has passed into a deep slumber, by and large.
Finally the wake up bell has rung for international duty. It's the prestigious South Asian Federation Football Championship (the third edition) taking place in Dhaka, Bangladesh this month. It may be recalled that in the same venue Nepal pulled off a stunner against heavily favored India to win gold in the 1993 South Asian Federation Games. As a matter of fact, Nepal then written off by sports critics came from nowhere to accomplish the feat. Since that famous victory, Nepali football has backpedaled dramatically. To rewrite history we have to play extraordinarily and give our best against opposition the likes of India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka who have prepared well for the challenge.
It is not impossible possible, though. Clubbed along with host Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan in Group A, Nepal cannot afford to give any room for complacency in her performance, be it against debutante Bhutan or one of the favorites Bangladesh, if we are to make a lasting impact on the competition. Every game is going to be extremely close, tough and intriguing, because every opposition in the group are at par with each other, in terms of playing standard, ploys and physical conditioning.
Consistency ultimately will be one of the keys to success. The team that plays most consistently throughout stands a better chance for triumph. Bangladesh, who hope to thwart India's bid to complete a hattrick, are obviously a hard nut to crack in front of their people, and the vastly improved Maldivians are no pushovers as they used to be. Even minnows Bhutan cannot be taken lightly because they have nothing to lose and are expected to go all out to upset the apple cart.
Nothing much can be said about our chances. If we manage to encore our World Cup qualifier performance, we might stand a chance to beat the heavy odds staked against us. But can we overcome the odds? A million dollar question, indeed. Our buildup for a tourney of this magnitude has been agonizingly average and inadequate. The big game is taking place this month, January 26-February 5 in Dhaka. But our squad has not been announced yet. In all probability, we can expect the make up of the squad to be a blend of young and mature players.
Undoubtedly, the depth of talent we have is enormous. At the end of the day each of the player’s skills and the team’s collective effort will determine the team's success.
We may never know— be it in victory or in failure—how much the Rana-Thapa divide may influence Nepali performance in Dhaka. The feud could subtly influence the psyche of the players, leading to considerable confusion. This is the general perception among the fans, sports enthusiasts, commentators, and the players themselves. As long as the present crisis persists, football and footballers’ woes will continue unabated.