FIFA Suspends All Nepal Football Activities

Kathmandu. The whole world is currently immersed in football. Citizens of participating nations are wishing for their team to win day and night. Nations that could not participate are also divided into various camps and are engrossed in this festival as spectators. Those who can afford it have traveled to Mexico, Canada, and America, while those who cannot are engrossed in football at home, sacrificing their work and sleep. Nepali supporters are also chanting slogans in favor of Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Portugal, England, and Spain, among others.

Social media is filled with football posts, and from tea stalls to villages and cities, football is heating up the atmosphere.

But amidst this enthusiasm, on Wednesday, the world football governing body FIFA stunned Nepali football lovers. FIFA has finally decided to suspend the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), which has been caught in a whirlpool of controversy for a long time. While the world is being heated by the World Cup far away, a 'black day' has begun in Nepali football. The current state of Nepali football has been devastated due to the lack of seriousness from the responsible bodies of the state.

This had never happened in ANFA's five-decade-long history. The suspension of ANFA has cast a shadow of disappointment and crisis over the Nepali sports sector.

FIFA has made this decision public with immediate effect, citing third-party interference as the reason, in accordance with Article 14, Sub-section 1(i) and Sub-section 3 of the FIFA Statutes. ANFA, established in 1951 and granted FIFA membership in 1972, is facing such a severe penalty for the first time in its history.

This suspension is not just an immediate decision but is understood by football stalwarts to be the combined result of a long-standing internal power struggle, violation of statutory provisions, and continuous misunderstandings with the regulatory bodies of the state.

Players are distressed, realizing that Nepali football will have to pay a heavy price. Nepal, being suspended, will not be allowed to participate in any international competition organized by FIFA, and FIFA-recognized referees will also not be able to officiate in international matches. Furthermore, the annual grants, technical assistance, and various development budgets received from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will be completely halted, which will severely impact Nepal's domestic football and the playing careers of the players. This unfortunate situation is being described as a black day in the history of Nepali football.

The Root of the Crisis: ANFA's Coercion

The main root of this crisis began with ANFA's election process and the violation of the procedures adopted therein. According to the regulations, the elections of lower-level bodies, i.e., district and provincial associations, must be completed before the central election of ANFA. However, the current executive committee, elected on Jestha 6, 2079, made a surprising decision on Chaitra 13 to hold only the central election without completing the district and provincial elections, based on a majority, before their term ended.

The election was scheduled to be held in Jhapa, the home district of President Pankaj Bikram Nemwang, on Magh 28. This date sowed a major seed of controversy within the organization. The opposition group interpreted this move as a ploy by the current leadership to circumvent the need for a new and fresh mandate and to regain leadership through the existing representatives, which further intensified internal dissatisfaction.

Amidst this controversy, the conflict between ANFA and the government's regulatory bodies reached its peak. Although the National Sports Council (NSC) repeatedly sent letters and directives to stop the election process, which was being conducted in violation of the statutes, and to conduct elections at all levels, ANFA attempted to proceed by taking refuge in the autonomy of FIFA and AFC. After defying the directives, the NSC suspended ANFA for three months on Chaitra 11. However, fearing FIFA, the NSC revoked the suspension on Jestha 1, stating that it would save ANFA unconditionally.

New Turn After Being Turned Away from the Airport

Another major root of the controversy was the Immigration Department, on the recommendation of the NSC, turning away ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nemwang, General Secretary Kiran Rai, and others from Tribhuvan International Airport as they were about to travel to Mexico to attend the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony. FIFA interpreted this incident as direct government interference and it appears to be the main basis for the suspension decision.

This dispute was also severely entangled in legal battles and internal factionalism. The Patan High Court, in response to a writ filed by ANFA Vice President Virat Jung Shahi and others, issued an interim order to halt the election process, thus postponing the election scheduled for Magh 28. Prior to this, ANFA was accused of disregarding a court order issued in response to Amit Khatri's writ. Later, when the court did not extend the interim order, the election date was again set for Falgun 27, but the Election Commission, based on a request from ANFA member Rupesh Adhikari, sent a letter to halt the process while the code of conduct was in effect.

After the election was stopped for the second time with the intervention of the District Administration Office, the ANFA leadership became active again for the election. If the other group led by Vice President Dirgha Bahadur KC (Kumar) had not withdrawn their candidacy at the last moment, the Nemwang group would have been elected unopposed, which further complicated the dispute.

The Practice of Using International Bodies as Shields

The tendency to challenge domestic laws and directives by using the support of international bodies in Nepali sports is not new, as exemplified by the dispute involving the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) last year. The opposition group has accused the ANFA leadership of trying to hide its incompetence by portraying the government as interfering. The current leadership's decisions have been controversial for most of their tenure of over three and a half years, with dozens of cases pending in court and players and clubs protesting; advancing the election in the name of a fresh mandate was itself the cause of the crisis.

Suspended for Not Heeding FIFA's Warning, Now the Government Will Negotiate: ANFA

Regarding this matter, ANFA spokesperson Suresh Shah also cites third-party interference as the reason. Spokesperson Shah stated that this decision is extremely unfortunate for Nepali football and that a direct dialogue between the Government of Nepal and FIFA is now necessary to resolve this crisis. 'Regarding the lifting of the suspension, the government and FIFA will have a direct role rather than ANFA, and ANFA will only play a coordinating role in this,' he said.

Spokesperson Shah clarified the issue of 'third-party interference' raised by FIFA, stating that it is not just a recent event but the result of a series of events that have been unfolding for a long time. He stated that the National Sports Council (NSC) and other government bodies have repeatedly obstructed ANFA from conducting elections, sports activities, and other decisions independently according to its approved statutes and regulations.

He said that the biggest impact will be on the players and referees. Since a large part of Nepali football is run by FIFA and AFC budgets and grants, and the Government of Nepal provides only 2.5 million rupees annually, this suspension will halt all domestic leagues, grassroots football, and development plans. Furthermore, opportunities for Nepali players to play in foreign clubs and new agreements for foreign players to come and play in Nepal will also be completely stopped.

Regarding the internal dispute within the organization and the election issue, Shah claimed that while disagreements or internal debates are natural in any organization, the use of external forces to prevent the implementation of a majority decision is third-party interference. He stated that the primary priority at this time is to protect the future of the players, and therefore the government must immediately negotiate with FIFA to find a positive resolution, and ANFA will provide necessary coordination for this.

Former Captain Upendra Man Singh's Outrage: Football Ruined Due to Leadership's Weakness

Following ANFA's suspension, former captain of the national football team, Upendra Man Singh, has strongly criticized the current leadership. In a conversation with Ratopati, former captain Singh described Nepal's first-ever suspension in its 54-year history with FIFA as the most unfortunate and shameful moment in Nepali football history.

He attributed the entire crisis to the incompetence, stubbornness, and wrong policies of ANFA's current leadership. 'The football fraternity is paying a heavy price today because the leaders failed to fulfill their own commitments and pursued personal interests,' he said.

Former captain Singh questioned the leadership's electoral stubbornness and ambition, stating that the main cause of the dispute was the haste to hold elections before the term ended.

Questioning the rationale behind trying to hold elections 3-4 months before the regular time, he said, 'The NSC was not asking to stop the election, only to proceed in a statutory and procedural manner, but the ANFA leadership, due to its arrogance, provided misleading information (misguided) even to FIFA.' Singh's analysis is that all parties within the organization, clubs, referees, and football lovers are completely dissatisfied with the current executive committee's working style, and the FIFA suspension is the result of this dissatisfaction.

Uncertainty About Football's Future

Expressing concern about the impact of the suspension on the players' careers, Singh mentioned that although the players are not at fault, they are the ones who are suffering the most. He stated that with international competitions halted, the future of not only the national team players but also male and female players playing in professional foreign leagues has become uncertain. He is concerned that this will create extreme disappointment towards football among young children in grassroots football and their parents. 'I have spent 36 years in football, and I don't even have a place to reassure parents that their children's future is secure in sports. What could be more tragic for a player?' Singh says.

Comparing with past leaderships, Singh recalled that although there were disputes in the past, the then-leaders always prioritized the country's prestige and the players' future to find solutions. 'Even during Ganesh Thapa's tenure, the country was saved from suspension by coordinating with the government, and during Karma Sherpa's time, leagues, NSL, grassroots programs, and women's football activities were kept active amidst controversies,' Singh remembered. He commented that the current executive committee has tarnished football's image globally instead of developing it.

Regarding the way forward, former captain Singh emphasized the need for all football-loving parties to come together instead of getting bogged down in accusations and counter-accusations. Since it is uncertain how long the suspension will last, he suggested that former players, captains, clubs, and the government should jointly send a positive message to FIFA that 'we are united to improve Nepali football.'

Singh also stated that he and other former captains would play a leading and coordinating role to unite all stakeholders.

NSC Member Secretary Mehta Says: It's the Irresponsibility of ANFA Officials

Ramcharitra Mehta, Member Secretary of the National Sports Council (NSC), has accused the current leadership of ANFA of gross irresponsibility and providing misleading information (misguided), leading to Nepal's suspension by FIFA. Mehta stated that the entire nation and the sports sector have suffered a major blow due to the personal interests and ambitions of a few officials. He described FIFA's suspension as extremely unfortunate and worrying news for Nepali sports and made it clear that the current ANFA leadership must take full responsibility for it.

Member Secretary Mehta completely rejected the narrative that the NSC interfered in sports, clarifying that the Council's objective was not to stop the elections but merely to conduct them systematically. 'To prevent any crisis in football, the NSC had unconditionally lifted ANFA's suspension a month and a half ago, but our efforts were in vain,' he said. He claimed that despite the lifting of the NSC's suspension a long time ago, ANFA officials have shown indifference towards the future of players and the sport, and have not convened a single executive committee meeting, which has led to the current situation.

Strongly criticizing the current ANFA officials, Mehta said, 'Officials enjoyed all the benefits, including salary and allowances, from the organization for four years and then left, cutting down the tree itself as their term was ending.' He accused the officials whose terms were ending of deliberately misleading FIFA to protect their personal interests. 'How appropriate is it to enjoy the organization for four years and then destroy the organization itself and leave?' he questioned.

Regarding the way forward and future steps, Member Secretary Mehta informed that the NSC is continuously discussing the matter with the Ministry of Sports and other stakeholders. He stated that as the term of the current ANFA executive committee is nearing its end, options will be explored to continue football activities and protect the interests of the players during the vacant period. He clarified that the NSC is internally preparing to inform FIFA about the reality, request the lifting of the suspension, and run football through options like an ad-hoc committee during the transitional period.

FIFA's Two Conditions for Lifting Suspension

FIFA has put forward conditions for lifting ANFA's suspension. FIFA has set the main conditions as the withdrawal of the NSC's decision and allowing the current executive committee to work in its original state.

According to FIFA's first condition, the decision made by the NSC on March 25, 2026, must be completely withdrawn without any conditions. FIFA has also stipulated that the current ANFA executive committee, which has been rendered inactive due to that decision, must be immediately and fully reinstated.

Similarly, as a second condition, FIFA has stated that ANFA must be allowed to complete the election process, which had already begun according to its statutes and regulations, as soon as possible without obstruction. FIFA's stance is that there should be no interference from the government or any external party in the election process, and the association should be allowed to proceed in a statutory manner.