NATIONAL8 (Spotlight Weekly]

Counting The Victims

The continuing dispute in Nepalese football has started taking its toll -- the national football coach is the latest victim

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

The British coach to Nepalese national football team, Stephen Constantine, resigned following the "no-end-in-sight" dispute in the national football association.

Though Constantine did not specifically mention the reasons for his resignation, it is obvious what made him take the decision. He is reported to have tendered his resignation to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the AFC that sends foreign coaches to train the national team here.

Nepalese football : kicked around

Interestingly, a day after Constantine resigned, a group of national footballers released a statement saying they would now join the Ganesh Thapa-led football association. "I am happy that the footballers have decided to come to the ANFA fold. Their decision will better the country's reputation," said Thapa.

But Geeta Rana is unhappy over the recent developments. "(By moving over to Thapa's fold) The footballers have invited anarchy in the country," she said. According to her, the National Sports Council (NSC) was corresponding with the AFC to make the latter recognize her ANFA and allow the team sent by her to participate in the World Cup qualifying matches scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan in April.

Following last October's controversial election of Ganesh Thapa, under the supervision of officials from AFC, as the president of the All Nepal Football Federation (ANFA) and the prompt declaration of its illegitimacy by the National Sports Council, which then went ahead to appoint school principal-turned-football administrator Geeta Rana as President of its ANFA ad hoc committee, the Nepalese football has been hit by series of misfortune.

First it was the unprecedented chance to host the World Cup qualifying round. The International Football Federation (FIFA) took away that chance from Nepal and handed it over to Kazakhstan.

The international football-governing body was forced to take the decision as the Nepalese government was not prepared to recognize Thapa-led ANFA. The FIFA itself was not prepared to recognize the Rana-led football association.

As if this was not enough, now chances are high that Nepal will not even be able to participate in the qualifying round.

FIFA may not accept any team sent by Rana-led ANFA while the government will refuse to recognize any team sent by the Thapa-led ANFA as national team of Nepal.

The resignation by Constantine does not come as a shock to sports commentators. "One could guess his predicament. Which team is he supposed to coach when the players of the national team are divided among the two associations?," asked a sports analyst.

What has baffled sports-watchers, however, is the timing of the Nepalese footballers decision to join the Thapa-led association.

Constantine had come to Nepal in 1999 on a three-year contract to coach the national team. His tenure had witnessed some positive developments in Nepalese football. Last year, the Nepalese football team became the first runner-ups in the Eighth South Asian Federation Games. And the youth team of Nepal made history by succeeding to enter the second round in Under-16 Asian championship a couple of months ago.

But all these feats will be reduced to nothing if the current turmoil is not resolved soon. Recently, the AFC decided to refrain from actually handing over the money from Goal Project, which Nepal had been awarded last year by the FIFA, unless the controversies are resolved.

Under the Goal Project, Nepal was promised assistance worth one million dollars which would be used to augment the sports infrastructures in the country.

Meanwhile, there is a greater danger of Nepal being suspended from international football tournaments. Sports commentators have not ruled out the possibility that the FIFA could decide to suspend Nepalese football in near future. Just recently, the FIFA suspended the football team of Guinea after the government there failed to reinstate the national football association despite its deadline.

But Rana dismisses the possibility. "Which ANFA would FIFA suspend? As far as we are concerned, we are not even recognized by the federation. We are least concerned what action it takes against the Thapa-led association."

She also accuses Thapa of trying to breach upon the apex court's decision. "His ANFA was constituted illegally -- after the court had issued a stay order against holding any election at the ANFA."

As brick-bats fly across, there is a slim chance that the dispute would be resolved unless the higher-up authorities right to the political level come to terms with the ensuing trouble and resolve it for good. Otherwise, this could well be the beginning of the end for Nepalese football.