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MARTYR MEMORIAL NATIONAL LEAGUE |
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MARTYR MEMORIAL NATIONAL LEAGUE |
Football Unlimited The league tournament
reveals budding professionalism among the players and undiminished popularity of football By SANJAYA DHAKAL Although the league was held in middle of
the monsoon season, it was able to draw impressive crowds during the two and a half month
long tournament. Organized by the All Nepal Football
Association (ANFA), the Martyr Memorial San Miguel League Tournament was unusually a big
draw for Kathmandu's football-lovers who are keener on knock-out tournaments. Braving the monsoon rain and dismal ground
conditions, large number of crowds came to see the league matches especially those between
stronger teams. The home-club loyalty was also witnessed in abundance among the audiences
ñ a positive signal for the development and prosperity of clubs.
Even as football continues to be the
most loved sports in the country, the inadequate efforts to develop the sports
infrastructures and lack of incentives to draw talents had always posed as serious
obstructions. On the top of that, the lack of league
tournaments had stolen the wind out of the game's sails. The irregular and improperly
organized league events could not trigger professionalism in the past. "Although this year's league, too, had
its share of controversies, it was positive in one aspect ñ that is spurring the media
attention and drawing the crowds. Besides, clubs seemed to have become more mature and
players more professional this time around," said a sports analyst. History of League League tournaments are considered to be the
mainstay of football process in all countries. Whether it is the English Premier League of
England, La Liga of Italy, or Spanish League, it is the league events that shape the
international football and churn out accomplished talents. Unfortunately, league play-offs have not
gotten the attention and priority they deserve in Nepal. The history of regular national
league tournaments here can be traced back to 1972. In the three subsequent years
Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) won the league title and got hold of the running shield. The league matches got an official color
after the ANFA was established in 1974. The tournaments were intermittently held ever
since. Following the political upheavals of 1990,
the league also took a back seat. It was only in 1996 that the league tournament was again
revived. Even this could not continue regularly. They were sporadically held in 1998 and
2001. This was the period when Nepalese football also was badly affected by the division
in the national association and virtual standstill in sports development. Luckily, the division and differences
within the ANFA has now been largely resolved triggering the holding of different matches
including the league tournament this year. League Standing One of the most well-known clubs of the
country Manang Marsyangdi Club (MMC) bagged the league title for the breath-taking fifth
time this year. Securing 28 points with 9 wins and 1 draw, MMC won the title for the
second time in two consecutive seasons. The MMC was the most star-studded team
counting national players like Basanta Gauchan, Rajan Rayamajhi, Nirajan Rayamajhi among
its fold. Consequently, it displayed a sterling performance winning 9 out of 11 matches.
It reached a draw with Mahendra Police Club (MPC) and was defeated by Friend's Club in its
very last outing in the tournament. The MMC was followed by MPC. The police
club had, for the first time, taken part in the national league tournament. With strikers
like Ramesh Budhathoki and Hari Khadka, MPC was one of the strongest teams. It ended with
24 points in its accounts.
Other teams, which put up impressive
performances, were Sankata Club, Three Stars Club, New Road Team (NRT), Friends Club and
Jawalakhel Youth Club (JYC). The Naxal Youth team was placed at the bottom of the list and
was, therefore, relegated to B division. In the past, two teams used to get relegated but
this year since the Galaxy team did not even take part in the league, only eleven clubs
competed and only one was relegated. Sponsored by San Miguel, this year the
league winners also will get cash prizes. Likewise, individual players will also get
recognition on various disciplines like best goalkeeper, best defender, best mid-fielder,
best striker and so on. The four teams that stand in the top four
position of the league tournament will be qualified to play another San Miguel tournament
where they will have to battle with other four teams invited from other countries. The
league title-holder MMC has also qualified to play the Asian Club championship. Muddy Matters The most saddening part of this year's
league tournament was quite clearly the ground. The rainfall soaked the ground of the only
national stadium so much that it resembled paddy fields. "Due to the sludge and mud in the
ground, we were unable to display our natural skills. Instead, most of the time, players
had to resort to power game," said Sanu Bhai Thapa, captain of JYC. Most of the time, players restricted their
game at the four corners of the ground, which was relatively freer of the mud and puddles.
The frequent mis-passes, the scenes of footballs screeching to a halt due to additional
friction generated by thick mud, players playing gymnastics to avoid the puddles of water
and comic pictures of slides and slips, all marred what should have been the pure display
of football tricks. "It was a travesty of the game. How
can the ANFA hold important league tournament in a ground like this?" asked a coach
of another club. "We accept that the season was not the
most suitable for holding league matches. But we had no option. In the absence of
alternate stadium, we had to play despite rain," said Ganesh Thapa, president of
ANFA. He, however, added that from now onwards, the ANFA will be holding league matches in
seasons other than monsoon. It also exposed the vulnerabilities of
ANFA, which does not have much alternative in terms of stadiums and sports
infrastructures. "We are currently constructing an alternate stadium in Chyasal,
Patan. It will be ready soon. We hope our difficulties will recede once this stadium is
opened," hoped Thapa. Emerging Professionalism One good aspect of the league has been that
it has tremendously increased the professional standings of not only the top-notch but the
average and mediocre players. As Ganesh Thapa says, "There was no player who played
for free." Thapa added that most good players charged
over Rs 100,000 from their clubs to play for one year. "Definitely, the
professionalism has developed enormously," said Kishore KC, coach of JYC. The process was most clear in the build-up
to the league tournament when various players switched their affiliation to various clubs
based on the financial and other facilities they were assured of. The development of professionalism augurs
well for the Nepalese football. It is a well known fact that only professional and career
footballers can really push the country's standing in the international arena. Likewise, it was seen that good players
from outside Kathmandu valley were ëimported' by the clubs for the sake of league
tournament. This indicates that though all A division clubs of the country are based in
the valley, the league does spur talent-scouting in other districts. "This could just be the beginning. We
will, most definitely, notice a lot of progress in Nepalese football in next 4-5
years," claims Thapa. Thapa's prediction could materialize if the
pace of professionalism and sports development accelerates in the days ahead. "We Are Encouraged By The
Response From The Audience" — Ganesh Thapa
Ganesh Thapa is the
president of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). Former national striker, Thapa spoke
to SANJAYA DHAKAL on various issues relating to football development and national league.
Excerpts: How do you see the development of
football at present? Basically, since the time I became involved
with ANFA five-six years ago, we started various development programs, which are exemplary
even to other countries. We largely focused on building physical infrastructure. The ANFA
now has its own administration building along with hostel and playground. Earlier, the
ANFA was confined within the Kathmandu valley. Now, it has networks all over the country.
We have established football academy where training is provided to selected children.
Likewise, we have also set up Rs 4 million worth Player Welfare Fund. Definitely, the
controversies and rifts seen in the ANFA affected the football development for more than
two years. That was unfortunate. But now things are moving in the right direction. Could you elaborate on the youth
and children football programs? In Butwal, Pokhara and Dharan, we provide
selected children with the opportunity of football training along with their education.
More than 200 children are currently engaged in such programs. These children are selected
from different parts of the country. Within 4-5 years, these children will turn into
accomplished footballers. A youth football development program has been initiated with the
help of Japan Football Association (JFA) for training under 16 players. I would like to
note here that we have been making progress in youth football. For the first time our
Under 16 team was qualified for the second round of the international tournament. Nepal
was the champion in the Under 14 regional tournament recently. This shows that our
approach of focusing at the grass-root level is paying off. What are your observations about
the recently concluded national league tournament? League is the backbone of football in any
country. Unfortunately, league tournaments in Nepal had to suffer from various hiccups.
Before I joined the ANFA, the league had not been held for eight years. We revived it but
again once we were dragged into controversy, the league could not be held for another
three years. Happily this year we have organized it again. How important are league
tournaments? Until and unless there is a regular and
proper national league tournament, there will be very little possibility of developing
professional and accomplished players. We have given league a top priority. This time we
also focused on developing clubs. It is good news that presently almost all good players
command at least Rs 100,000 ñ Rs 125,000 per year from their clubs. There are no players
who are playing for free. This is a far cry from the yester-years when they used to get
nothing. This year ANFA also provided Rs 50,000 each to 11 A division clubs for their
league preparation. The top four teams of the league tournament will be nominated for San
Miguel championship which will be held later on by inviting four other teams from other
countries. The league title-holder will also be qualified to play in the Asian club
championship. Furthermore, after the A division league tournament, ANFA is planning to
hold C division league, which will be followed by B division league within a year. How do you find the response to
league tournaments? We are extremely encouraged by the positive
response shown by the audiences. Perhaps after 20 years, we witnessed such a huge crowd at
league matches. The stadium was packed when there was a match between Manang Marsyangdi
Club and Mahendra Police Club. Particularly, media highlighted the tournament this year. There were charges that the ground
was muddy and resembled more like a paddy field than a football ground. What do you say? We accept that the season was not the most
suitable for holding league matches. But we had no option. In the absence of alternate
stadium, we had to play despite rain. However, from now onwards we will not be holding
league matches during rainy season. Happily, we are constructing an alternate stadium at
Chyasal, Patan, which will be complete soon. This stadium will have the capacity of 8-10
thousand people. It is said that sports cannot
flourish without sponsorships and commercial endorsements. What is the state of sports
sponsorship in our country? Previously, ANFA was always dependant on
the National Sports Council (NSC) for funding. However, at present, we have roped in
sponsors to carry out our activities. Sponsors like Coca Cola and Surya Tobacco Company
hand out sponsorship worth millions of rupees. This time, the league has been sponsored by
San Miguel. The clubs that stand first, second and third in the league ranking will be
provided with cash prizes of Rs 150,000, Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. Likewise,
there are other individual prizes as well. The ANFA is also considering taking steps
towards convincing big business houses to sponsor a club each. What is the standing of Nepalese
football compared to other countries of this region? Basically, we are at same level. India is
somewhat better than others. But as far as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka are
concerned, they are comparable. |
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editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
