Nepal National Football Team Announced After Departure to Laos; Anjan Bista Excluded

The Nepal national football team has departed for Laos on Saturday to play against Laos in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Following the suspension of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) by the National Sports Council, ANFA dispatched the team to Laos under the prevailing circumstances. The new head coach, Guglielmo Arena, has announced a squad featuring five new players for his debut match.

After arriving in Laos, ANFA officially revealed the Nepal squad on its Facebook page Sunday morning. Led by captain and goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong, the squad notably does not include Anjan Bista, who is Nepal’s joint top scorer with 13 international goals. Coach Arena has introduced five fresh faces for his first game in charge.

The new additions to the squad include goalkeeper Yogesh Dhimal, midfielders Pemba Dorje Lama and Milan Rai, and forwards Yuvraj Khadka and Roman Bhujel. Yogesh Dhimal and Roman Bhujel currently play for Planning Boys United in the National League, while Milan Rai represents Church Boys and Yuvraj Khadka plays for APF.

Originally, Nepal was set to host the match against Laos at their home stadium; however, the Dashrath Rangasala stadium was recently declared unfit for international matches, preventing the home game from taking place there. The suspension of ANFA by the sports administrative body, the National Sports Council (RAKHEP), has cast uncertainty over the future of Nepalese football. Positioned in Group F, Nepal has already been eliminated from contention to qualify for the Asian Cup.