Mediocrity and parity prevail at the SAFF Cup
By Biplav Gautam
(February 2003)

The SAFF Cup proved neither catastrophic nor euphoric for Nepal. It was pretty much a case of the status quo. One can dissect the tournament for days on end, but the simple fact is South Asian football is filled with mediocrity and parity. There is little else to analyze. 

The level of play in the subcontinent has improved little. It was quite an accomplishment for any team to put together three passes in a row. At least each country had matching uniforms, a break from past South Asian football tradition. Bangladesh won the tournament, though in all honesty, with a simple change in the bounce of the ball, any of six countries could have probably won the tournament. 

The mediocrity and parity basically highlights the common problems for all SAFF nations – lack of a proper national league, lack of a defined youth system, lack of professionalism, lack of proper administration, lack of fan interest and an abundance of apathy and corruption. 

As for Nepal’s national team, what can one expect from a team that trained for barely two weeks, did not play a single friendly match, and consisted of players that have lacked match practice at club level? The fact that such a side held its own against the eventual champions Bangladesh and took a second half lead against finalists Maldives are actually encouraging signs. The lack of goals against Bhutan was disappointing, but Nepal dominated the match against a side that considers us their arch rivals and were determined to keep the score line low by stacking their defense. 

With regards to the players, the general consensus on them proved to be true. Nirajan Rayamajhi is the real deal, the defense is weak, the 30 something crowd are all over the hill and goalkeeping is a major problem area. 

In my last article, I wrote that it is what happens after the SAFF Cup and not really what happens during the tournament that will be important for Nepal. As a first step, ANFA needs to make sure that every tournament that the national team plays in is shown on Nepal Television. The most deplorable aspect of the SAFF Cup was that Nepalis could not even watch their country play in the most popular tournament that the national team participates in. How does ANFA hope to grow and develop football in Nepal, if the ordinary Nepali citizen can’t even watch their national team play? The fact that it has been over three and a half years since any person in Nepal has been able to see the national team play, either live or on TV, is an absolute outrage! 

The disappointing results at the SAFF Cup perhaps will prove to be a boon for Nepali football. While connoisseurs of the game might not be too disheartened with the results, ANFA will have no laurels to stand on and will feel pressured to shake-up the current football setup. The formation of youth academies across the country, the advent of a year long football calendar, and the resumption of high profile club tournaments are definitely steps in the right direction. Let’s hope these are just the beginnings of Nepal’s long campaign towards glory at the next SAFF Cup.