FIFA Suspends Nepali Football; Government Considers Alternatives

Kathmandu. The government has taken the issue of Nepal's suspension by the world football governing body (FIFA) as a sad incident.

The government side considers the irresponsibility and lack of mutual coordination of the then officials of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) as the main reason for this situation. Although FIFA has accused the government of interference, the government has clarified that it has only facilitated democratic elections and procedural transparency.

Currently, intensive discussions are underway between the ministry and the National Sports Council regarding corresponding with FIFA for the suspension to be lifted and to make football activities dynamic. If there is no immediate positive response from FIFA, the government is preparing to seek an alternative legal path for internal management.

Regarding this matter, News Agency Nepal has spoken with Ramcharitra Mehta, Member Secretary of the National Sports Council.

FIFA suspended Nepali football during your tenure, how do you take this?

This is not a positive thing. It is a sad thing. For a nation, for the players of a nation, to be affected by this suspension is a sad time for all of us, for Nepalis. Now, discussions are being held on how we, the government, can resolve this and move forward.

FIFA's letter mentions not being allowed to attend the general assembly, not holding elections, and government or third-party interference. Don't you think the ANFA council should have been allowed to attend the FIFA meeting?

We had previously discussed this matter with them, about this election, about the General Assembly, about the AGM. There was a discussion with them about the AGM. The understanding was to go to the election, to go to the election in a procedural manner. Our understanding, statement, and the government's assessment was that going to the election after accumulating one's own power has no meaning. The matter of tiered elections is already known through your media and everywhere. That was the way to go. After they did not agree, we had also corresponded with FIFA, keeping them in confidence. We said that such and such is happening and this should be stopped immediately. Even after repeatedly telling them, the election was stopped and suspension also happened.

However, we released them unconditionally precisely to prevent these days from coming. That was about a month and a half ago. For a month and a half, the then officials, whose term has now ended from the 6th, have called this time without even holding a single executive committee meeting or any activity. This is very sad. We are very concerned about this and are working towards finding a solution.

There are about 17 countries that FIFA has suspended. All of them have third-party interference, government interference. Everything we have done is known to all stakeholders, the entire country, and all media. Today, the National Sports Council and the government have done this work for ANFA.

We interfered, we told them you can go, there's no problem, we'll let you go. But we asked them to come after holding an executive committee meeting. You have to bring a decision after holding a meeting. It's not enough for individuals to come, it's not enough to leave one or two people. You hold a meeting, make a decision, decide about the election, when to hold it, the deadline is approaching. Bring these decisions. Whatever your decision is, if you have a majority, do that and bring it, we will let you go, even after clearly telling them this, they did not agree to hold a meeting.

Even when the minister himself called everyone to the ministry a week ago for discussions, they did not agree to hold a meeting and did not even attend the meeting. Looking at this, it seems they ran for four years irresponsibly and negligently. They wanted to push football further, and it was pushed today.

However, we have taken this very seriously. Discussions are underway on how to get this suspension lifted immediately. We are going to request. Meetings are being held, and discussions are also being held on how to keep the football sector dynamic during this period until the suspension is lifted. We will reach a decision in a few days.

There are allegations that the current executive committee, the opposition group, and the council all played a role in football heading towards suspension. What do you say?

Let me clarify further that the government, or the current opposition, or in their view, the officials who represented in the past, are not at all in the line of pushing football forward at any cost. The National Sports Council and the government are not going to make decisions at anyone's behest, keeping football and the players at the center of the decisions. The government has made decisions keeping football and the players at the center.

We are sending a letter. If it doesn't work, then Nepal cannot stop football by stopping it, it will have to be run in a domestic way somehow, we are discussing that too.

Our only point is that the election should be conducted in a more democratic manner. Whether someone exerted pressure then or not is another matter. It is normal to receive pressure when in government, but how the government takes it is the main thing. We had taken it positively.

Regarding the current officials (whose term has just ended), what is the meaning of not holding a meeting and not reaching any decision for a month and a half even after the suspension was lifted? This makes it clear that they themselves seemed to be in favor of the suspension. They understood their responsibility – the officials who led for four years in their positions knew all about how to move this forward, where to coordinate. But still, they did not fulfill that role. Their role was not as it should have been.

Now, I don't want to say anything personally to anyone. Whatever should not have happened, has happened. But those who understand have understood everything. Where is the government's interference? We ourselves said that the election should be held now, we called them and said it in the executive committee meeting. Even when the suspension was to be lifted, we asked them to bring a decision. Even when lifting the suspension, when we asked for the executive committee's decision, it was lifted by sending the signatures of two people, so that this day would not come.

Despite all these efforts, despite so much flexibility and correspondence from the government, they ignored it. And today, they have worked to weaken it by pushing it in any way possible. These are sad issues. Now, rather than blaming anyone, the government is thinking and working on what the way forward will be.

It is heard that an ad-hoc committee was formed immediately after the suspension, and the council only has to put the garland on it?

That has not happened. If there was an ad-hoc committee, it would have been released today, wouldn't it? It's not like that. We are discussing outside, whatever it may be. Discussions have started today. Even though the discussion has started, we have not been able to finalize it in a day or two. We are still requesting them first. We will wait for FIFA for a few more days. We are sending a letter the day after tomorrow. If it doesn't work, then Nepal cannot stop football by stopping it, it will have to be run in a domestic way somehow, we are discussing that too.

Now, who makes a list of pressure on the road or at home, there is no proof of this institutionally on a legal basis so far. What is said outside is not our concern.

Will an ad-hoc committee not be formed immediately?

Now we are in discussions. Should we understand it from their side first, or what to do, because we don't want to stay too far from them either. We don't want to go far from FIFA either. We are requesting them to open it once. If it is not opened or if they give a long time, then in the meantime, some kind of management will be needed for operation. It will proceed in that way, the government will go for an alternative.

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