Sacked vice president duo of ANFA Karma Chhiring Sherpa and Bijay Narayan Manandhar handed over a letter to NSC Member Secretary Keshav Kumar Bista at the latter's office in Tripureshwar, asking him to initiate the probe.Five footballers including national team captain Sagar Thapa, vice captain Sandeep Rai, goalkeeper Ritesh Thapa and two former Nepali internationals Anjan KC and Bikash Singh Chhetri were arrested by the police on October 14 for their alleged involvement in match fixing for financial gains under the influence of bookies during international fixtures. They are currently in police custody for investigation. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) have imposed provisional bans to all five alleged footballers until the case is settled.
Similarly, Nepal's U-16 age-group team, which qualified for the finals of the AFC U-16 was expelled from the contest by the AFC for fielding over-aged players. The AFC also slapped a fine of $ 14,500 to Nepal.
Sherpa, Manandhar and another vice president Kishor Rai and member Pankaj Bikram Nembang were sacked by the ANFA on September 28. The four had voiced against corruption in ANFA as well as the autocratic system of governance of ANFA and its president Ganesh Thapa.
The letter submitted to the NSC reads that match fixing had brought shame to the Nepali football team at the international arena. The letter also suspects the involvement of football officials in match fixing.
"The players might be a small part of match fixing and officials might have bigger share in such crime. It is ANFA which holds responsibility of organizing and arranging friendlies and preparations for tournaments. Thus, the body associated with football must furnish clarification to football fans and the public. The NSC must start probe at the earliest seeking support from the AFC and also work toward making laws against match fixing," reads the memorandum.
Regarding fielding over-aged players, the letter says it is not the fault of players but the ANFA and related officials for fielding over-aged players.
It is not the first time that Nepal has been warned and fined for fielding over-aged players.
The Police have suspected eight matches of Nepal to be fixed since 2008. Thus the dissident faction has demanded to start probe on all friendlies and tournaments Nepal played since 2008.
Besides this, the letter has also pointed out flaws in the youth project and academies run by the ANFA. Similarly, they have also claimed that academies run by the ANFA were non-transparent and the ANFA was reluctant in decentralizing projects of the football governing body.
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