The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Sunday took stock of the situation of Nepali football following a 10-year suspension on its long-serving president Ganesh Thapa.

Purushottam Kattel, AFC’s International Relations Officer, met the Anfa officials including Acting President Narendra Shrestha and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Indra Man Tuladhar on Sunday and discussed on the way ahead for Anfa following the suspension of its boss. While Kattel denied making any comments, Anfa CEO Tuladhar said the AFC representative was here to take stock of the current situation.

“Our discussion with

the AFC representative basically centred around the way out from the current crisis,” said Tuladhar. The Anfa CEO said that Kattel had inquired if there was a possibility of working together with the ‘rebel group’.

“We said to him that everyone is entitled to join Anfa provided he or she comes through legitimate door,” informed Tuladhar indicating that they had no intention of clearing way for a group lead by “suspended” Anfa vice-president Karma Tshering Sherpa. Sherpa and another vice-president Bijay Narayan Manandhar among others, who were at the loggerhead with Thapa, were suspended on the pretext of their “continuous absence from the executive committee meetings”.

CEO informed that Kattel is scheduled to meet Youth and Sports Minister Satya Narayan Mandal, National Sports Council Member Secretary Keshav Kumar Bista as well as Sherpa and his team on Monday. “We have clarified our position and will maintain it even after his meetings with other people on Monday,” added Tuladhar.

The Adjudicatory Chamber of the Independent Ethics Committee of the football’s  World governing body Fifa on November 16 had suspended the former national team striker Thapa from all national and international football activities on bribery and corruption charges. Thapa, who is also a parliamentarian of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, is lso under investigation by local authorities on embezzling millions of dollars meant for football development in the country.