NATIONAL8 (Spotlight Weekly]

Unimpressive Show

The ill-prepared Nepalese team receives a thrashing in the World Cup qualifying tournament

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

The recent patch-up effort to downplay the deep-seated differences among football officials could not save Nepal from receiving a severe thrashing from its opponents in the field.

In the recently organized first leg of the World Cup qualifying matches in Iraq, Nepalese booters were made to bite the dust in front of an Arab audience.

Nepalese footballers : Lacking experience

First, the Nepalese footballers were downed 6-0 by the impressive Kazakh team. Even the full-fledged support from the Iraqi audience could not instill the sense of confidence in them.

But that turned out to be a mild gesture as Iraq came all out in offence to hit them nine goals to one. The only high point was the last match of the first leg tournament in which Nepal thrashed minnows Macau 4-1. Macau is the fourth team of this group.

But the second leg of the match, which was held in Kazakhstan, proved to be somewhat a relief for the Nepalese booters. Nepal only conceded four goals to nil against the Kazakhs and could even reply back two goals against the mighty Iraqis. Iraq beat Nepal 4-2 in the match played in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The thrashing of the Nepalese team was expected. However, it is especially painful if one ponders at the developments in the last couple of months that led to the venue of this match being shifted from Nepal to Iraq and Kazakhstan.

As the two All Nepal Football Federation (ANFA) - one supported by FIFA and the other supported by the National Sports Council (NSC) - engaged in a tug-of-war over their legitimacy, FIFA snatched away the game from here. Despite concerns over the very danger expressed from several quarters, the bickering sides did not bother to bury their differences in time.

It was only in the eleventh hour that the two sides reached a compromise to send the national team to play in Iraq. "If they can reach a compromise now, what stopped them from doing exactly the same two months ago. That could have saved Nepal the chance to host such prestigious tournament," rued one football critic.

It has been more than six months that the Nepalese football has been held hostage to the differences between football administrators Ganesh Thapa and Geeta Rana, with the government playing the role of a mute spectator.

The dismal performance by the Nepalese team could be attributed to the lack of training and preparation. Only a few weeks before they left for Iraq, the Nepalese players did not know whether they would be participating in the tournament or not. There was no question of training or other preparation.

The blame lies squarely on the NSC, which should have taken the initiative a long time ago. That would not only have saved Nepal the opportunity to host the tournament but also increased chances of our players displaying better football in front of their home crowd.

Meanwhile, in a latest development, the officials of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has said that it is considering to invite all the bickering parties of the Nepalese football to Singapore (for a meeting) soon in an effort to find a way out of the present deadlock.

Sports lovers in the country only hope that the current patch-up in Nepalese football will be given a lasting touch by the authorities.