ANFA Election Postponed Following Discussions with FIFA and AFC
Editorial Summary
Prepared after review.
- The early elections of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) have been postponed after the National Sports Council suspended the federation.
- ANFA General Secretary Kiran Rai announced that following consultations with FIFA and AFC, the election has been deferred.
- Rai emphasized that the National Sports Council should take responsibility for football and grant approval for the upcoming Asian Cup qualifying matches.
March 27, Kathmandu – After being suspended by the National Sports Council (NSC), the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) held a press conference to announce that, following discussions with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the scheduled early elections have been postponed.
The early elections planned for Thursday were put on hold. Speaking at the press conference after the election suspension, ANFA General Secretary Kiran Rai detailed that following the NSC’s suspension of ANFA, consultations were held with FIFA and AFC representatives, which resulted in the decision to postpone the elections.
“Representatives from AFC and FIFA had arrived for the elections, but after the NSC imposed the suspension, we discussed with them and decided to postpone the elections,” Rai stated.
He added that while ANFA is willing to step aside if it benefits Nepali football, stepping down at this moment would plunge the sport into crisis.
“It’s not that we don’t want to leave. We desire what’s best for Nepali football and have been working hard towards it for a long time. We aimed to hold the elections precisely to avoid FIFA’s suspension,” Rai explained.
Rai affirmed that ANFA is not opposing Nepalese law and has made efforts to clarify the situation. He also highlighted that the National Sports Council must take charge of football moving forward.
“Nepali football is currently in a vacuum, and that responsibility now lies with NSC,” he said, stressing that this void cannot be maintained and that NSC must take the lead in resolving issues within Nepali football.
Regarding the Asian Cup qualifying match against Laos, Rai emphasized that NSC must formally approve ANFA’s participation. “We sent a letter to NSC on March 22 seeking approval to participate in the qualifying match against Laos as part of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. This was before the suspension, and we strongly believe the Nepali team should participate in the game,” he stated.
Rai assured that ANFA is not chaotic. “We respect Nepal’s laws and have no issues that require conflict with the state,” he remarked.
He further accused certain groups of intentionally trying to prevent the A Division League from taking place.