Mani Kunwar, a president candidate for Saturday’s exeuctive committee election of the All Nepal Football Association (Anfa), said his faction will not accept the election if it is conducted on the scheduled date claiming it is against the statute of the football governing body.

The election committee of Anfa on April 25 had rescheduled the election, which will chose a new leadership, for May 5 on a 10-day notice following a Patan High Court decision that lifted an interim order to put the election on hold. The election was earlier scheduled for March 28.

“We want the election to be held as per the statute and norms of Anfa so that football will be free from dispute in future,” said Kunwar at a press conference.

“As per the statue, Anfa must furnish a 60-day notice to hold the general assembly but the letter for May 5 election is dispatched on April 25,” he said. “Only the executive committee of Anfa holds the right to fix the date and venue of election. The previous election date (March 28) was already put on hold by the Court. Thus the election will not be acceptable if it goes on May 5,” added Kunwar who also furnished examples of Makawanpur and Bhaktapur district associations.

The March 28 election was put on hold after representatives from Makwanpur and Bhaktapur filed case in the court claiming they were deprived of the right to participate in the election. “The whole election process of those districts was organised from the beginning,” said Kunwar. He also blamed Anfa president Narendra Shrestha of not initiating single joint discussions with both parties involved in the election.

Karma Tshering Sherpa is the only other candidate running for the president. “I have requested the president to hold a joint meeting with both the factions involved in election before announcing the date, but my plea was not heard,” lamented Kunwar. The faction said it is yet to decide what its next step was going to be if the election goes on as scheduled for May 5.

Election committee coordinator Suman KC disputed the claims from Kunwar. “All process of election along with 60-day notice to the member associations and filing candidacy were conducted as per the Anfa statute before the March 28 election was put on hold. The election process was suspended by Court’s ruling but not scrapped. Thus we resumed it from the same point where it had stopped following necessary consultations and agreement with Anfa secretariat,” said KC. “If we go by what has been claimed, Anfa will never see its elections,” he added.

Sherpa claimed that the May 5 election was announced after a tri-party meeting — election committee, Sherpa himself and Kunwar. “The election date was fixed by the on April 22 after holding a joint meeting based on a letter sent by the Asian Football Confederation,” he said.

“This is the last opportunity given by AFC and Fifa to conduct the election otherwise Anfa will face suspension,” said Sherpa. “They (Kunwar faction) have the fear that they might lose the election. They are attempting to stop the election by hook or crook. They are not bothered about football and are in an attempt to paralyse the game pushing it towards international suspension.”

AFC wants to leave it all on EC

KATHMANDU: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has urged the All Nepal Football Association (Anfa) not to interfere the Anfa Election Committee regarding the Anfa Electoral Congress. The letter signed by AFC general secretary Dato Windsor on April 11 and addressed to Anfa general secretary Dhirendra Pradhan reads: “We would like to remind you that the Anfa Electoral Committee shall be sole charge of all electoral matters and decision making without any external interference.” (PR)