ANFA Spent Nearly NPR 5.5 Million on Postponed Election; Over NPR 9.7 Million Spent on Legal Battles
The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has been found to have violated the Public Procurement Act by spending approximately NPR 5.5 million on an election that was ultimately postponed, and nearly NPR 10 million on related legal battles. A report prepared by a sub-committee, formed under the guidance of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), detailed instances of financial misuse within ANFA’s leadership.
Summary
Prepared after editorial review.
- The All Nepal Football Association spent nearly NPR 5.5 million on an election it postponed at the last minute.
- A sub-committee formed at the request of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority examined ANFA’s finances and submitted a report to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
- The report revealed that ANFA purchased sports equipment worth USD 50,000 from Kelme without a tender process.
April 8, Kathmandu: The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) reportedly spent close to NPR 5.5 million preparing for an election that was postponed at the last moment. According to a report by a sub-committee formed to investigate ANFA’s finances, the organization incurred the expense under the pretext of election preparations.
At the request of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), a sub-committee led by Kamal Bhattarai submitted its findings to the Ministry of Youth and Sports on Monday. According to ministry sources, ANFA’s expenditure related to the election amounted to approximately NPR 5.5 million.
“The executive committee approved a budget of NPR 6.5 million for the election,” said a source from the National Sports Council (NSC), “of which nearly NPR 5.5 million was already spent, according to the report.“
The report indicates that these funds covered travel, accommodation, and meals for trips to Jhapa during election preparations. “The report also notes that this expenditure occurred even as ANFA was suspended, while still proceeding with election activities,” the NSC source added.
After rejecting the lower-tier elections, the National Sports Council suspended ANFA for three months starting Chaitra 11 of the Nepali calendar (around late March). However, ANFA went to Jhapa to organize election activities and postponed the poll just one day prior.
The report also revealed that ANFA spent nearly NPR 9.7 million in a year defending 24 lawsuits registered last year. These cases ranged from challenging the early election ban to contempt of court proceedings against ANFA.
Additionally, the report found that ANFA purchased sports equipment worth USD 50,000 from Kelme without conducting a tender process, which is mandatory under the Public Procurement Act for acquisitions over NPR 2 million.
Despite the lack of tendering, ANFA stated that the purchase was made through quotations in accordance with FIFA regulations.
Following complaints against ANFA, the CIAA sent a letter through the Ministry of Youth and Sports requesting the NSC to conduct an investigation. In response, the NSC formed the sub-committee on April 8.
The sub-committee was led by former NSC executive member Bhattarai and included NSC’s accounting officer Tanknath Kandel and procurement branch member Gopikrishna Nirola. On NSC’s recommendation, the Immigration Department had also imposed travel bans on ANFA officials during the investigation.
“The report was prepared after reviewing necessary documents and discussing relevant complaints with stakeholders,” sub-committee chair Bhattarai stated. ANFA spokesperson Suresh Shah refused to comment when contacted regarding this matter.