Rastriya Swatantra Party Leader Balen Shah Highlights Football's Strong Following in Nepal's Districts

Kathmandu. Senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Balen Shah, stated that football has a separate craze in the districts outside the Kathmandu Valley.

While campaigning in Koshi Province, he wrote on social media: 'The national football league is taking place in Kathmandu. The spectator attendance is not even reaching 200-300. It is saddening to see that there are no spectators for Nepal's popular sport. Many think that football in Nepal is over. However, there is a distinct craze for football in the districts. Thousands of spectators come daily to watch football in the district gold cups. There are situations where people cannot get tickets for the final match.'

He further wrote: 'Most of the players in the league held in Kathmandu are produced by the districts. But the presence of district clubs in the league structure, considered the backbone of the country, is limited. In recent years, a few clubs have entered division football. But the centralized football structure makes it difficult for clubs outside Kathmandu to survive. Now, let there be a policy for football that decentralizes the sport and brings professionalism into the game. Football should not be limited to just a few clubs in Kathmandu. No club or player should have to come to Kathmandu just to play football.'

'Let the district teams invite Kathmandu clubs and players. When Jhapa XI plays in the East, let the stadium be filled with spectators from Dhangadhi. Let the flags of Machhindra and Three Star clubs color the stadium in Dhangadhi in the West. Let no player have to go abroad due to the lack of football,' Shah wrote.