The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has suspended the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) over third-party interference, imposing an indefinite ban that sidelines Nepal from international football and deepens uncertainty over the sport’s governance.
According to a statement published on FIFA’s website, the decision taken by the Bureau of the FIFA Council took place on 24 June. The world governing body cited third-party interference in the affairs of ANFA as the reason for the suspension.
The suspension means Nepal’s national teams and clubs can no longer participate in competitions organised by FIFA or the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). ANFA, its member bodies and officials will also lose access to FIFA and AFC funding, development programmes, training opportunities and educational courses until the suspension is lifted.
The move follows a prolonged dispute over the governance of Nepali football. Earlier, Nepal’s National Sports Council had suspended ANFA for three months, although that decision was later revoked.
The conflict deepened after the Sports Council refused to recognise ANFA’s proposed election, forcing the poll to be postponed. Meanwhile, the tenure of the current ANFA executive committee, led by President Pankaj Bikram Nembang, has already expired, leaving the organisation without a clear roadmap for resolving the leadership vacuum.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
