| Can Nepali Football Make a Comeback?
In the absence of a congenial grass roots level programme, development of sports be it football or cricket is virtually impossible, writes Sushil Thapa.
By Sushil Thapa (Winchester, VA)
The recent success achieved by our Under-14 and Under-17 booters in New Delhi, India proves that there is no dearth of talents in the country. The youngsters not only dished out an exhilarating brand of football but dazzled with individual brilliance and skills. Both outfits stood rock solid to dominate the proceedings through out the competition. Kudos to players and coaches for the accomplishment.
Subroto Cup has turned out to be a very important platform for budding footballers to show case their talent, over the years. As far as success is concerned, it has been remarkable so far. Definitely these youngsters deserve a lot more of this kind of competition for further exposure which ultimately helps build their confidence and hone skills.
Plenty has been said about the necessity for developing grass roots level football which we awfully lack. In fact it has become a talking point for sports writers and football enthusiasts.
Admittedly in absence of a congenial grass roots level programme, development of sports be it football or cricket is virtually impossible. This is one of the root causes why we are under achievers in the international arena though we have been playing the sport for more than half a century.
Also there is a failure to provide long term continuity to projects designed to tap in and nurture would be future stars. We have witnessed many such projects launched and vanish without serving its purpose, over the decade. In addition, a politicized football association coupled with paucity of fund and negligible infrastructure, limited role of clubs and lack of a professional environment have had negative impact on the over all development of football. Having said so, all is not lost and I see light at the end of the tunnel. If we honestly commit ourselves to its cause there is every reason for us to become optimistic about the future of the game in the country.
Equally important is support of the entire football fraternity for the football body, dedicated in the development of the game .However, we cannot expect the game make a quick u-turn in terms of development, something unimaginable, overnight.
The present All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) led by the highly controversial Ganesh Thapa has been performing a fairly good job. Under Thapa’s watch there has been a flurry of developmental activities largely targeting the domestic front. Their top priority rightly has been on grass roots level, including youth projects one of the perquisites for long term success. The emergence of football academies and hiring a person of Shyam Thapa’s stature, one of the legends of Indian football as coach of the national youth team are some of the few positive steps taken by ANFA. Our third place finish at the Tenth South Asian Federation Games in Sri Lanka at the expense of India is commendable.
So long Thapa totally commits himself , rises above vested interests and surrounds himself by a dedicated set of professionals he can certainly achieve a lot more and lead Nepali football into a new era. For the moment let us keep our fingers crossed and wait and see how it shapes up in the days to come.