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Kathmandu Tuesday June 26, 2001 Ashadh 12, 2058.
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Thapa led
ANFA ready for fresh election
Post Report
KATHMANDU, June 25 - The Ganesh Thapa led All Nepal
Football Association (ANFA) said Monday that the association is ready to face a fresh
election, making amendment to the association’s statutes of 1994 if necessary.
Speaking at a press meet, Ganesh Thapa, the president of
the association, said the possibility of the August 15 election is still on provided that
the concerned authorities prepare an ideal condition.
However, he made it clear that it would be possible only
when two conditions as put up by AFC are met. "NSC should return the ANFA complex to
us and recognise our association as the football’s sole governing body in the
country," Thapa said.
According to a copy of minutes of the AFC-ANFA meeting held
in Singapore on May 10, AFC, besides making decisions on issues related to amendments to
ANFA statutes, elections had decided to seek the assistance of concerned authorities for
the return of ANFA complex to ANFA as well as recommended that the ANFA interim committee
headed by Geeta Rana. The meeting was attended by president of AFC affiliated ANFA Ganesh
Thapa, president of the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) Rukma Shamsher Rana, president of
NSC recognised ANFA Geeta Rana and legal counsellor of NOC Upendra Keshari Neupane.
Fielding questions from reporters, Thapa said, although the
land at Satdobato has been registered in the name of the National Sports Council (NSC), it
was provided to ANFA about three years ago, to build the ANFA building and run the
development programmes from its own resources. The NSC executive board approved the
decision under the chairmanship of the then Minister of Sports Purna Bahadur Khadka.
Dato Peter Velappan, the AFC general-secretary in his June
19 letter addressed to the president of Rukma Shamsher Rana, expressed sadness over the
delay in implemention those decisions. Strongly urging for their immediate settlement, he
warned it would be a tregedy for football in Nepal unless those matters were not settled
by July 31.
The row between the two faction flared up when Ganesh Thapa
held the ANFA election on October 16, 2000 under the supervision of an AFC representative.
Thapa won the presidency unopposed but NSC disproved the election and subsequently made
Geeta Rana the president of ANFA interim committee.
Ganesh Thapa, citing an example of a similar football
dispute in Greece, said: "We can surely disregard FIFA’s instruction but that
will lead Nepal’s football to nowhere but to disorder." Greece was on the verge
of facing FIFA suspension, but the government later intervened to resolve the dispute
between two bodies.
"We can still revive country’s football if we
follow the FIFA guidelines," Thapa appealed.
Vice-president Lok Bahadur Shahi, while reading out a press
release, said that football in Nepal has suffered a severe set back as several lucrative
sponsorship deals like Coca-Cola worth 5 million rupees each year, Surya Tobacco and the
FIFA’s ambitious development programme—Goal Project have been suspended. "A
more flexible approach is needed from all quaters to address it," he said.
Meanwhile, NOC president Rukma Shamsher Rana, acknowledging
the receipt of Velappan’s letter, admitted that the situation has really become more
serious. However, he sounds confident about the resolution of the matter. "What is
most important thing to resolve this issue lies on flexible approach from both Ganesh
Thapa and Geeta Rana," he said.
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