Sports
Two games before indefinite break
Nepal’s international commitment has forced the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) to reschedule the Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League set for Saturday kick off.Nepal’s international commitment has forced the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) to reschedule the Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League set for Saturday kick off.
Nepal are scheduled to leave for Bangladesh to compete in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup where they are the defending champions. The league, however, resumes after five years with a match between New Road Team (NRT) and Tribhuvan Army Club at the ANFA Complex on Saturday. Sankata Club will take on Saraswati Youth Club the next day before the league goes into break for indefinite period.
ANFA general secretary Indra Man Tuladhar said: “The revised fixture will be announced depending on Nepal’s run at Bangabandhu Gold Cup. At least the first round fixtures will finish before Dashain festival.”
Earlier, ANFA had planned 21 matches before Dashain, the 26th of October. Tuladhar said that if Nepal fail to advance from the group stages, the league will resume quicker with possibilities of two round matches. But if Nepal make deeper run then only one round matches will be possible before the Dashain festival.
The group stage of Bangabandhu Cup, which begins on October 2, will finish on October 6. The final is slated for October 12. There will be further break until Tihar festival, November 9. However, the league will be completed by the first week of January next year.
Nepal confirmed their participation in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup only on October 21, few days after ANFA had announced the tie-sheet. The 14-team tournament will be played in a single round robin league without the provision of relegation. The matches will be played at APF grounds in Halchowk and Satdobato. A team can register maximum of 35 players. The clubs will be allowed to field four foreign players including a reserved quota for South Asian players. They can field all four players at a time. The league champions will represent Nepal in the AFC Cup.
The champions will earn Rs 5 million in the league that offers Rs 13.7 million cash prizes. Each team will get Rs 2 million preparation money. Two teams finishing at the bottom will be deducted two and one point respectively in the next season. The two will also see deduction of preparation money by Rs 300,000 and Rs 200,000.
Three Star, MMC, NPC, APF Club, Army, Jawalakhel, Friends’, Sankata, Machhindra, Saraswati, Chyasal, New Road Team, Brigade Boys and Himalayan Sherpa Club are the team to compete in the league.