 |
Kathmandu Monday July 23, 2001 Shrawan 08, 2058.
|
ANFA to stage 25th National Football C’ship
Post Report
LALITPUR, July 22 - The National Sports Council (NSC)
recognised All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) announced Sunday that it will hold the
25th National Football Championship from July 28 till August 4. The tournament will also
act as a base for the final selection in the run upto the 9th South Asian Federation (SAF)
Games.
Addressing a press meet held at the ANFA complex,
Satdobato, Geeta Rana, the president of the association, said that the tournament is being
held with the association shouldering most of the financial burden as instructed by NSC.
"We’ve taken up the challenge to raise the
necessary funds," she said, recalling the decision made by NSC last week that the
council calling football and swimming associations for the raise of funds while assuring
minimum financial assistance. "We’ll prove that football still can survive
without an assistance from abroad."
Earlier, giving account of the tournament, association’s
general-secretary Kumar Thapa said a total of seven teams—one team each from five
development regions, Mahendra Police Club and Tribhuvan Club—face off each other in
the tournament that will be played under the league-cum knockout format.
It was also announced on the occasion that the tournament
will serve as a basis for the final selection tournament for the upcoming 9th South Asian
Federation (SAF) Games in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the selection tournament for the SAF Games,
which will follow immediately after the 25th National Football, will be conducted in three
phases, the association informed reporters.
According to its press release, a total of 48 players (12
each as strikers and defenders, 16 midfielders and 8 goalkeepers) will be selected from
various regions in the first phases, who will undergo a close-session training. The number
of players will be further sliced down to 36 (nine each as strikers and defenders, 12
midfielders and six keepers) at the end of the second phase and 25 players (six strikers,
eight midfielders, seven defenders and four as keepers), who make it through the third and
final round of selection, will represent Nepal at the SAF Games.
A total cost of Rs 1.48 million has been expected to incur
to host both the tournaments as well as to run the close session training for the selected
players. Out of that amount, the association expect to collect Rs 800,000 from ticket
sales while it is counting on various sponsors to meet the rest.
Rana, fielding questions from the reporters, also claimed
that Nepal’s participation unlike in the World Cup qualifiers would be free from any
squabble this time.
"Nepali football team will participate at the SAF
Games under the Nepal Olympic Committee, who recognise us as the sole governing body of
the game," she said. "Apart from a few technical assistance, there wouldn’t
any direct involvement of the Asian Football Confederation or football’s world
governing body—FIFA."
Nepali football team’s participation at the
international events has remained far from smooth owing to the presence of rivalry between
two parallel game’s governing bodies in the country. Ganesh Thapa heads the other
ANFA, which has the affiliation from AFC and FIFA. |
