Football conflict, cricket feat highlights of year 2058

By Narayan Upadhyay

Nepalese sports saw many ups and downs during the Nepalese year 2058. Sports’ two disciplines, soccer and cricket, loved and watched by many Nepalese, remained in the centre of everybody’s attention. While wrangling within the football association proved detrimental to the growth of national soccer, the feat in cricket by Nepalese youngsters brought joys to the sports fans back home.

Clouds of uncertainties loomed large over the country’s sporting activities during the year. The September 11 shocked Nepalese players, who were all set to take part in the South Asian regional sports meet known as the SAF Games in October of 2001. The terrorist attack in New York forced Pakistani authority to postpone the SAF Games. The game, scheduled to be held in Islamabad in October last year, had to be put off indefinitely. It is now scheduled for March next year in the same venue.

The shocking incident at the Nepalese Royal Palace had earlier withheld nation’s fifth national games to be held in Jestha 19 (June 1st), two days after the tragedy happened. The cash-strapped National Sports Council (NSC), the national sports governing organization, has not so far been able to announce a new date of the national games.

The NSC had failed to establish the government supported All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) as an undisputed soccer controlling body in the nation. The soccer impasse took an unsavoury turn as the NSC Member Secretary continued to maintain his distance with ANFA President Geeta Rana, who won the government and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) supported elections for ANFA’s executive committee. Member Secretary Binod Shankar Palikhe is alleged to have taken side with those who were once regarded as the NSC bashers. He has failed to bring the FIFA and AFC recognition to the ANFA.

A silver lining in the Nepalese sports’ black cloud, however, brought relief to the sports fans. The Nepalese cricket youngsters qualified for the Under-19 World Cup Cricket held in New Zealand in February this year. Before qualifying to the final round, the young cricketers won the final of their group match against Malaysia by seven wickets in Kathmandu in January.

The cricketers, briefly coached by Sri Lanka’s former Test player Roy Dias, emerged as one of the promising young cricket teams in the Down Under. Failed to enter the semifinal by a whisker even though beating the cricket powerhouse Pakistan, the Nepalese performed magnificently in the Plate round and claimed the runners-up title. They beat three teams including the strong Bangladeshis to reach the final where the another finalists, Zimbabwe, beat them.

Joys brought by Nepalese young wielders of willow were savoured every bit by the Nepalese fans, who earlier felt cheated by the New Delhi based Canadian High Commission. The visa officials of the Commission had denied visas for four Nepalese players, including the captain of the Nepalese senior cricket team for the Montreal International Cricket Council Trophy. The team had to include four reserve players. Nepalese, as a result, could not perform as well as expected and were beaten by three out of four nations in the first round group matches.

The Cricket Association of Nepal, despite the visa embarrassment for its senior players, felt relieved after the Asian Cricket Council promised it financial supports to build a cricket academy in the tourist town of Pokhara. The town was again in the limelight as it became the venue for the Pokhara Marathon-2058, the Caravan Gold Soccer Cup and Khukuri Karate Cup.

Domestic events of the different sports disciplines held during the Nepalese year-2058 B.S. aroused the interests of many sports lovers across the nation. Friends Club of Kopundole Kathmandu lifted the football’s Tilottamma Cup in Butwal while archrivals Mahendra Police Club rose as the strongest domestic soccer teams by lifting Birendra Memorial Cup Tournament played in Kathmandu and Buda Subba Gold Cup in Dharan.

Other highlights of year include the postponement of the National Judo Championship due to the security reasons, the organisation of All Nepal Open Mountain Bike Competition as well as the reconstitution of cricket’s national executive committees.

The lackluster hosting of the sixth Asian cross-country race, where Japanese men and women stamped their authority, took many by surprise. During the year, the district of Kapilbastu won the 17th national Jay Trophy Cricket Tournament. Ace Nepalese Marathoner Baikuntha Manandhar ran Kathmandu-Muktinath run to celebrate his 50th birthday.

During the same year, the sporting society lost two sports’ well known personalities. Tika Ram Shahi, the well-known soccer administrators, and Rambir Kansakar, the secretary of Nepal Chess Association died during the year. The chess association organised a chess competition in memory of the late Kansakar. In the chess competition, where top Nepalese chess players tried their luck against a computer programme was another important sports fixture of the Nepalese calendar.