Korean scores in MMC's win; APF, Machhindra share points

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 27: Korean striker for Manang Marshynagdi Club (MMC) Lee Jihoon scored the only goal to register a 1-0 win over NIBL Friends Club on Saturday in the domestic A Division League football tournament while Armed Police Force (APF) Club played a goalless draw against Machhindra Club to open their account.

After the completion of two matches of round one, Nepal Army Club, MMC, and New Road Team (NRT) are in the top three spots respectively with six points apiece but army lead the table on the basis of the number of goals scored.

With a win and a draw Machhindra have added four points to stand fifth while APF climbed to the eighth place adding one point. Friends Club are in relegation zone with no points.

For MMC, which came up with three Koreans in their starting lineup, Lee made a spectacular move in the 68th minute to score the decisive goal with his solo effort. Beating offside trap, Lee sprinted from the midfield and lashed a powerful shot to stun Friends goalie Rupak Shrestha. Lee won the man-of-the-match award.

MMC coach Chhiring Lopsang, however, said that there was no coordination between Korean and Nepali teammates. “The Koreans play in different style; two days training is not sufficient. Now they will be trained to play in Nepali style so that MMC can maintain their previous image,” said the coach of six-time league winners.

Both the teams could make few post attempts in the match. In the 57th minute Friend´s striker Nirajan Khadka´s powerful freekick shot from the edge of the box was punched by MMC goalie Bishal Shrestha.

Friends coach Mrigendra Mishra remained satisfied with the team´s performance despite the loss. “We played better than last time,” he said, adding, "Today the luck did not favor us."

In another match, despite frequent attacks both sides failed to find the back of net. Machhindra whose lineup is dominated by a number of ANFA academy players displayed technically sound performance as compared to the departmental team in the first-half. But APF came in tune in the second-half and piled pressure on their opponents.

In the seventh minute, Machhindra´s Karna Limbu squandered a one-versus-one chance with goalie Chandan Sardar as his volley went slightly wide from the pole. Karna again failed to strike in the 61st minute in an open condition from the box after beating two opponents.

Man-of-the-match Machhhindra goalie Bishal Magar´s heroic display denied APF from taking full points as he made several marvelous saves. In the 55th and 68th minutes Bishal denied Durga Raj Lawat´s powerful shot.

Machhindra coach Narottam Shakya pointed out lack of strikers in his team. “There were no good supplies from midfielders and strikers,” Shakya said.

APF coach Maheshwar Mulmi remained happy with the results as they succeeded in opening their account. “The players showed better performance as compared to the last match,” Mulmi said.

Sunday´s match has been called off due to Fagu Purnima. On Monday, Nepal Police Club will take on Ranipokhari Corner Team and Jawalakhel will play against Sankata Club.

Hyundai signs sponsorship deal with MMC

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 26: Laxmi Group, the official partner of Hyundai Groups for Nepal, signed a sponsorship deal worth Rs 1.1 million with Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC), a top flight football club of Nepal, amidst a function in the capital on Friday.

Laxmi Group President Ganesh Bahadur Shrestha and MMC President Tashi Ghale signed the sponsorship deal on behalf of their respective institutions.

Now MMC will carry Laxmi Hyundai ahead of their name in any official match they play. Other than the cash, Laxmi Group will also provide sporting kits to the team. The deal will remain valid for a year.

MMC are the highest six-time league winners in the Nepali league football history along with Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT). In a bid to win the ongoing edition of the A Division league, MMC have come up with four Korean players.

Police secure draw, RCT win

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 25: The last gasp brace from Chetan Ghimire earned title holders Nepal Police Club (NPC) a dramatic 2-2 draw over Samsung Jawalakhel Youth Club on Thursday in the Martyrs Memorial San Miguel ´A´ Division League Football Tournament while Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) recorded their first 2-0 win over Boys Union Club.

Chetan, who made first appearance in the league, headed the equalizer in the second minute of the stoppage time before he opened the scoring for police two minutes ahead of the regular time through header as well. Chetan headed the equalizer from box in a cross supplied by Jumanu Rai and netted the first in a pass set by Rabin Shrestha.

With the win police added four points from two matches to climb on the top while Jawalakhel opened account with a point in the point table.

Jawalakhel, tagged as the weaker team took an early lead in the 19th minute through Sachindra Dhimal who made a beautiful header in a corner of Krishna Malakar. They doubled the advantage in the 79th minute when Jaghu Nath Khadka, who had substituted Krishna three minutes before, made a powerful strike from about 25 yards to pile up more pressure on the title holders.

Despite conceding the last moment goals, Jawalakhel coach Suman Yonzon who had looked after the team from last two days remained satisfied with the results. “Our mission was to hold the police in draw and we succeeded in it. However, we were close to victory,” Yonzan said, who labeled police as a strong team. He pointed out fitness problem as his team´s setback.

Jawalakhel were bound to share points after they failed during the last moment. Police squandered as many as four chances in the first half and in second half. Jumanu squandered a one-versus-one chance with Jawalakhel goalie Min Basnet in the 63rd minute.

Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha, however, refused to admit that Jawalakhel displayed good footballing. “Jawalakhel did not play good but we played bad. We came under pressure after we failed to utilize opportunities.”

In another match, Dipak Rai and UKFC player of India Amir Lama scored one each for RCT to help them secure first league win. With the win they opened their account and climbed in the fourth spot with three points. Boys Union is yet to open their account in the points table.

Dipak scored in the 29th minute from box in a pass supplied by Prabesh Katuwal who chipped. Prabesh had chipped in opponent defender to set the pass. Likewise, Amir doubled the advantage in the 87th minute utilizing a pass from Dipak.

Earlier, Dipak had missed a penalty in the 70th minute when Boys Union Bishnu Sunwar committed hand in the box.

The RCT had come up with tow Indian players, including Amir Lama, who entered the field in the 62nd minute as a replacement for Rishi Rai.

RCT coach Madhu Karki said that the team failed to perform up to his expectations. “The team could not play up to their strength as they considered the opponent weak,” Karki said. He also lauded the opponents´ performance in the second-half.

NRT, Machhindra start league with victories

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 24: New Road Team (NRT) and Machhindra Club started their journey in the domestic A Division football league with wins on Wednesday.

NRT beat departmental team Armed Police Force (APF) 1-0 while Machhindra eased past NIBL Friends Club 3-1 during the matches held at Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu.

Nirajan Rayamajhi scored the only goal of the match in the 37th minute to give a blissful start to NRT. Nirajan scored in a back pass supplied by Ranjit Shrestha while APF goalie Chandan Sardar had bent down to save the goal from Ranjit who was just in front of him.

Both APF and NRT could only make a couple of impressive post attacks but APF were unable to find the back of the net.

AFP coach Maheshwar Mulmi lamented of not having good scorers. “We lack good scorers in the team and two of my players are unable to play due to illness,” Mulmi said.

APF skipper Kumar Thapa´s 25-yard shot in the 40th minute was marvelously saved by NRT goalie and captain Surendra Shrestha. Likewise, Top Bahadur Bista´s strike during the dying moments of the first half was punched to safety by Surendra that after Bista had collected the ball out of a missed pass from NRT defender Sagar Thapa.

Ranjit Shrestha of the winning side won the man-of-the-match award.

Despite the win, NRT coach Diken Suwal remained dissatisfied with the team´s performance. “They could not play up to my expectations. However, this is the first league match.” Suwal said. He also stressed the need for team-setting. “The team is not well set due to short preparation time and lack of ground for practice,” Suwal explained.

In another match, Bishnu KC made a quick attempt from the box in a cross supplied by Amir Shrestha to give an early lead to Machhindra in the 16th minute.

Friends, in an attempt to bounce back in the match, leveled the scoring in the 62nd minute. Deepak Bhusal made a powerful strike from about 30 yards to light hope for the team.

But they were unable to hold on to the lead for long as Rupesh KC doubled the advantage in the 75th minute through penalty after Friends skipper Nur Raj Kafle took down Karna Limbu in the danger zone. Nur Raj was slapped with a yellow card.

Similarly, man-of-the-match Karna killed the match in the 80th minute through a header from the box in a cross supplied by Rupesh.

Satisfied with the team´s victory, Machhindra coach Narottam Shakya said that the team perfectly played as per his expectation and lesson in training. “The team brilliantly utilized opportunities and our defense-line was tight as well,” Shakya said.

Friends coach Mrigendra Mishra said that his players were unfit in the match as five of them had participated in the recently held National Games organized by PLA Sports Club. “Despite this, the team too failed to utilize opportunities,” Mishra added.

MMC, Three Star labour to opening wins

Source: Himalayan News Service

23 Feb 2010, KATHMANDU: Two of the title favourites, Nabil Three Star Club and Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) registered labourious wins in the Martyrs Memorial San Miguel A Division Football League here today.

A 74th minute goal from Jocelyn Morgan Pierce gave Three Star a 1-0 win over Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) while MMC, bolstered by four South Korean players in their team, also struggled to a 1-0 win over Sankata Kathmandu Mall Club thanks to Ganesh Khadka's 63rd minute decider.

Three Star were lucky to have found the back of the net through Pierce's goal-line finish following a cross from Vijay Gurung. Three Star struggled after 30 minutes allowing RCT make numerous threatening moves. RCT coach Madhu Karki rued the missed chances.

RCT were denied a goal when Three Star custodian Kiran Chemjong punched a powerful shot from Rishi Rai for a corner. RCT were also unlucky as Santosh Gurung's free kick rebounded off the bar in the 47th minute. And four minutes later Deepak Rai cut through five Three Star players and fed the ball to Rishi only for the RCT striker to apply a weak shot.

Three Star coach Bal Gopal Maharjan accepted the match was a tough one. "We hastened for shots but they were holding the ball pretty nicely," he said. Maharjan said his side is yet to be set and hinted at trying new players in coming matches.

Earlier, Ganesh struck a winner for MMC midway in the second half taking advantage of a weak clearance from a Sankata defender. Sankata's Bangladeshi U-19 glovesman Nurul Karim superbly denied a long range shot from Jagjeet Shrestha but the ball fell in front of Ganesh, who slotted home.

Sankata were also boosted by the presence of another Bangladeshi U-19 player Md Asif Hussain but the midfielder made hardly any impression. In the 11th minute, unmarked Santosh Shrestha met a corner from skipper Kailash Dangol but his weak shot was easily parried by MMC goalie Bishal Shrestha. MMC were also unlucky early in the first half when referee Sudish Pandey spotted Korean Kim Sun Do handling the ball before the striker scored the goal.

MMC coach Chhiring Lopsang Gurung said the Korean players will fit in the team as the league progresses. "They play well but they are not accustomed with the playing conditions here. I am confident they will impress as the league wears on," he said.

Police, Army triumph on first day

SOURCE:REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 20: Nepal Police Club (NPC) and Army Club opened the Martyrs Memorial A-Division League on a winning note on Saturday. NPC thrashed Boys Union Club (BUC) 3-0, while the Army hammered Jawalakhel Youth Club (JYC) 4-1 at the Dasharath Stadium on the first day of the league that commenced after a three-year hiatus.

Goals from Jumanu Rai, Bhola Silwal and an own goal from BUC helped NPC take the lead with three points. The Army are also on par with NPC. Bikarna Shrestha´s brace and a goal each from Santosh Nepali and Ram Kumar Biswas helped the Army win the match against JYC.

In the first match, NPC took the lead in the 26th minute from Jumanu Rai´s goal from the box set by Rabin Shrestha. The only other good attempt in the first half was a powerful shot by Shekhar Limbu which NPC custodian Ritesh Thapa blocked.

NPC added another goal in the early minutes of the second half. As Jumanu dribbled the ball past BUC´s defenders, Pale Khadka´s attempt to clear the ball landed in his own net in the 51st minute. Bhola Silwal of NPC sealed the match with a one-versus-one goal in the 75th minute.

NPC´s coach Birat Krishna Shrestha said he was satisfied with the result but not with the team´s performance. “I´m glad that we won although our players were injured,” he said.

Meanwhile, BUC´s captain Sagar Ghimire said that they lost by a wide margin because of the referee´s wrong decision. “The first and second goals were offside but the referee didn´t make the right judgment,” he said.

In the second match of the day, the Army were able to keep the JYC under pressure despite a good show by the latter. Bikarna Shrestha volleyed the ball into the net from the box in a cross set by Mahendra Khawas to give the Army the lead in the 27th minute. Santosh Nepali doubled the lead two minutes later as he slammed the ball from the left side just outside the box.

Bikarna scored the third goal for the Army in the early minutes of the second half. Bikarna´s header set by substitute player Hiranya Magar hit the bar and entered the net in the 49th minute. The Army´s victory looked evident as Ram Kumar Biswas converted Hiranya´s free-kick in the 56th minute.

After conceding four goals, JYC tried to make a come back with some improved performance. Yogesh Shrestha netted the ball in Raj Kumar Ghising´s pass two minutes later. But JYC were not able to score any other goal after that.

Army´s coach Raju Shakya expressed satisfaction over his team´s performance but said that the opponents played well in the match. JYC´s assistant coach Rajaram Karki said their key players were injured and exhausted because of too many matches in the last month. “We lost despite playing well,” he said.

ANFA has said there will be no league match on Sunday and Monday due to general strike.

A division league football begins Saturday

PRAJWAL OLI

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 19: The Martyrs Memorial San Miguel A Division National League football tournament will begin on Saturday at the Dasharath Stadium after a three-year hiatus. It is the 37th edition of the event in 56 years of its history.

The event carried the legacy of the Janaki Cup, which was initiated by the then Nepal Football Association in 1951 as the premier division club football. Nepal Police´s team won all three Janaki Cup and took away the trophy.

The event was renamed Martyr Memorial after Nepal Police gifted NFA a new trophy in 1954. Defending champions Nepal Police Club (NPC) are playing Boys Union Club in the opening match on Saturday.

In its history, only Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) and Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) have permanently owned the national league trophy winning three consecutive titles. RCT did so in the early 70s while MMC repeated the feat in the late 80s.

RCT and MMC are also the most successful teams in the national circuit winning the top league six times each while New Road Team have won it four times. Mahabir Club, Sankata Club and NPC have all won the event three times.

Deurali Club of Thamel and Annapurna Club, both of which are non-existent, won twice along with Three Star Club (TSC), this year´s strong contenders. Nepal Army, Bidya Byayam, Friends Union, Boys Union and Sunakhari Club too have won the event in the past.

This year, 12 teams -- NPC, TSC, MMC, RCT, NRT, Boys Union, Armed Police Force, Nepal Army Club, Machhindra Club, Jawalakhel Youth Club, Sankata and Friends Club -- are vying for the title and the prize money of Rs 20,00,000.

The total prize money for this year´s event to be played in double round robin league is Rs 4,250,000. In addition, top five players will receive a motorcycle each and the best player with a long contribution to football a car.

LG, RCT ink sponsorship deal

SOURCR: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 19: Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) inked a one-year sponsorship deal with LG mobile, a product of CG electronics, on Friday at a function organized in the capital.

LG will provide Rs 350,000 immediately and other materials equivalent to the same amount within a year.

RCT President and All Nepal Football Association Vice-president Bijay Manandhar and CG Electronics General Manager Ramesh Shrestha signed the deal on behalf of their respective institutions.

On the occasion Shrestha handed over the new jersey with the logo of LG to RCT captain Dilip Chhetri. RCT will put on the jersey in any official match they play.

Speaking on the occasion, Shrestha said that LG were proud to be associated with RCT that carries a 76-year history. He also promised to bring special package for the players if they qualify for the AFC President´s Cup. The winners of the national league will qualify for the

MMC's leadership change

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 16: Manang Marshyangdi Club´s general assembly on Tuesday re-elected Tashi Ghale as the president of the club for the second time. The assembly also unanimously elected a 14-member working committee.

Ghale was the club´s president during its inception but was replaced by Chhiring Lobsang later on. MMC have won the A Division League for six times, the last time being in 2006. Ghale said he is preparing to bring South Korean footballers for the upcoming league.

Testing time ahead for Nepal Police

Source: Himalayan News Service

Adarsha Dhakal

KATHMANDU: Nepal Police Club (NPC) are the defending champions of the Martyrs Memorial A Division League. After the A Division League stalled for three consecutive years thanks to the dispute between the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and the then Nepal Football Association, NPC remained the defending champions and represented Nepal at the AFC President's Cup on three occasion by default.

On papers, NPC can be considered one of the strongest sides among the 12 clubs in fray. After stepping in the A Division League Football under the ANFA in 2004, they finished as runners up and ended up with the same fate the following year. Although the departmental team finished fourth in 2006, they went on to clinch the league in 2007. NPC are the five times champion of the reputed Aaha Gold Cup of Pokhara and have won the Budha Subba Gold Cup of Dharan four times.

However, injuries to key players and the players going out of form, is a real concern for the departmental team ahead of the February 20 kick off. Also, the year has also not fare well for the Policemen as they have won just one domestic knockout tournament -- Aaha Gold Cup.

Coach Birat Krishna Shrestha is also doubtful of his side coming in true colors. NPC are hit by the injuries of their regulars Ju Manu Rai, Chetan Ghimire, Rakesh Shrestha and Deepak Poudel. "There has also been no real preparation time. Some of our team members played back to back international tournaments in the 11th SA Games and sixth SAFF Championships apart from competing in the domestic tournaments." said Shrestha.

Shrestha is also regretting of not having Yogesh Shrestha and Dipesh Shrestha at their services. Although they have been playing for the club since 2008, the football's governing body, ANFA, have ruled the players to stick on with the teams they signed in 2007, meaning the duo will be representing Jawalakhel Youth Club.

Under these circumstances, NPC will be trying their junior players and field a mixed team with the inclusion of second choice players. Coach Shrestha said he would be opting for the second choice players in Ramesh Katuwal, Pradeep Baniya, Pankaj Shahi, Suraj BK, Jitendra Bista and Roshan Karki in the playing set. "We will have to bring some new faces in the playing set. It would be a time of experiment and test for us," said Shrestha.

Suman Subedi, Rabin Shrestha, Parbat Pandey and Ananta Thapa are the only fit players in NPC's regular squad. Coach Shrestha, however, is hopeful of recovery of his key players with the progression of league and said there would be no downfall in team's performance.

Shrestha is currently assisted by the former Nepali international Hari Khadka, who captained league winning side of 2007. Khadka is also hopeful that key player will be able to perform once they recover from the injuries.

"If the key players come out of injury and find back their form we can be the best among others," said Khadka

RCT end title drought with Budha Subba Gold Cup

SOURCE: ROHIT RAI

DHARAN, Feb 13: Ranipokhari Corner Team ended their decade-long title drought on Saturday, lifting the title of the 12th Budha Subba Tuborg International Invitational Gold Cup Football Tournament.

RCT defeated tough opponents Nepal Police Club in tiebreaker in the final match played at the Dharan Stadium. It is the first title victory for RCT after the Birthday Cup win in 2000.

The regulation time ended in a 2-2 draw and both the team failed to score in the added time, leading the match to tiebreaker.

RCT custodian Dileep Chhetri played a vital role in sealing the victory. Chhetri blocked spot kicks from Bhola Silwal, Yogesh Shrestha and Robin Shrestha during his heroic performance. Deepen Shrestha was the only NPC player to score in the tiebreaker. Krishna Kunwar, Santosh Gurung and Deepak Rai scored for the winners.

Deepen Shrestha had given NPC a valuable lead in the 28th minute of the match after RCT defenders and goalkeeper could not maintain their coordination in clearing the ball inside the box.

However, Rishi Rai leveled the score in the second half through a pass from Yogesh Gurung in the 52nd minute. Deepak Rai, then, provided lead to RCT in the 75th minute of the match.

RCT, however, could not enjoy the lead for long. Roshan Karki´s powerful shot from just outside from the box touched the net to level the match at 2-2.

Following the loss, NPC´s dream of winning the Budha Subba Gold Cup for the fourth time was shattered as their first choice players -- Jumanu Rai, Rakesh Shrestha, Chetan Ghimire and Deepak Paudel -- were injured.

Winners RCT bagged Rs 150,000 while the runners-up received Rs 75,000. RCT goalkeeper Dileep was adjudged man-of-the-match and awarded Rs 10,000 while NPC´s Deepen Shrestha was declared man-of-the-tournament. Shrestha bagged away a purse of Rs 25,000.

Martyrs Memorial A Division League begins officially

Source: Himalayan News Service

KATHMANDU: The Martyrs Memorial A Division League Football Tournament was officially inaugurated here at the Dasharath Stadium today.

The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) had set an unique style of the opening — the match between the ANFA Academy U-14 Red and Yellow teams — and Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang inaugurated the League by handing over the ball to referee Sudish Pandey, who offitiated the match.

The Chairman along with National Sports Council Vice President Pitambar Timilsina aand ANFA officials also congratulated the national women’s football team that won silver medal at the recently held 11th South Asian Games in Dhaka.

The League will formally begin on February 20 with the match between defending champions Nepal Police Club and Boys Union club. The organisers, ANFA, postponed the matches as the event coincided with the National Sports Tournament organised by PLA Sports Club.

The League, an annual programme of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), was stalled for three years because of the dispute between the football’s governing body and Nepal Football Association, which was dissolved following the agreement between the two parties.

A total of 12 teams are taking part in the League. The winners will receive two million rupees, while the runners up will take home one million rupees. The teams rounding up from third to eighth place will also get Rs 500,000, Rs 300,000, Rs 200,000, Rs 100,000, Rs 60,000 and Rs 40,000 respectively.

Nepal Police Club, Tribhuvan Army Club, Nabil Three Star Club, Manang Marshyangdi Club, Nepal Armed Police Force Club, Machhindra Club, NIB Friends Club, Sankata Kathmandu Mall Club, New Road Team, Ranipokhari Corner Team, Samsung Jawalakhel Youth Club and Boys Union Club are the participating teams in the double-leg League. Also, five best individuals — goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, striker and coach — will earn a motorcycle each, while the ANFA will reward a footballer with a car.

Just bouquets for women team?

KATHMANDU: The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), who have been generous in felicitating the national football teams for achieving success in international arena, took everyone to surprise by just felicitating the 11th SA Games silver medal winning women’s football team with a bouquet each.

During the opening ceremony of the Martyrs Memorial San Miguel A Division League Football Tournament, the Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang congratulated the national women’s team members with a bouquet on behalf of the ANFA. Nepali women’s team achieved their biggest ever success by winning silver medal in Dhaka. The ANFA had rewarded Rs 50,000 each to the men’s football team members who won bronze medal at the 10th SA Games in Colombo in 2006. Even the sixth SAFF Championship team members received Rs 25,000 despite being knocked out from the group stage.

Policemen enter final

Source: Himalayan News Service

DHARAN: A brace from Roshan Karki helped Nepal Police Club (NPC) reach the final of 12th Budha Subba Gold Cup Football Tournament defeating the Himalayan Sherpa Club of Kathmandu 2-0 here at the proposed Eastern Stadium today.

NPC will now take on Ranipokhari Corner Team in the February 14 final. It would be the second successive title match for the departmental team of Nepal Police, who went to Dharan from Pokhara after winning the eighth Aaha Gold Cup Football Tournament on February 6. NPC took a 1-0 lead in the first half through a goal from Roshan, who doubled the lead in the 52nd minute following a cross from Bhola Silwal.

The losing team enjoyed a better possession in the match and missed almost half-a-dozen goal scoring opportunities. The Himalayan Sherpa Club’s man of the match Bharat Khawas made as many as six attacks on NPC post but custodian Ritesh Thapa stood firm.

Departmental teams pull out of PLA games

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 11: All the departmental teams -- Nepal Army Club, Nepal Police Club and APF Club -- have pulled out of the men´s and women´s national volleyball and football tournament to be organized by the PLA Sports Club of the Maoist combatants. The tournament was scheduled begin from Saturday.

At a press conference organized at the Dasharath Stadium on Thursday, organizers said the departmental teams declined to participate in the tournament.

Maoist politburo member Kul Prasad KC accused the government of giving continuity to Chief of Army Staff Rukmangat Katuwal´s act that barred army from participating in the Fifth National Games.

However, PLA Sports Club President Santa Kumar Darai said that the army pulled out of the tournament citing their busy schedule while the Police and APF said they were under pressure from high officials not to participate in the games.

ANFA U-16 and Martyrs Memorial Workers Club will be playing instead of departmental teams in the men´s football while five regional teams and two teams of host have already confirmed their participation in the games.

The women´s football will have eight teams other than ANFA U-16.

In volleyball eight teams will participate in men´s section and seven in the women´s section.

Meanwhile, the organizers have said that all the preparations for the tournament have been completed.

The tournament carries the total cash prize of about Rs 2.5 million. The top four teams in football from both the categories will bag a purse of Rs 300,000, Rs 200,000, Rs 150,000 and Rs 75,000 respectively.

Similarly, the top four teams in volleyball will bag Rs 200,000 Rs 150,000, Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively.

Three Star get co-sponsor

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

Pic: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 10: Nabil Three Star Club on Wednesday signed a co-sponsorship deal with Western Union Money Transfer for one year. As the co-sponsor, Western Union will provide Rs 700,000 to the club.

Three Star President Lalit Krishna Shrestha and Western Union country head Atish Krishna signed the agreement on behalf of their respective institutions.

Following the agreement, Three Star will put on jersey carrying the logo of Western Union in all official matches. Nabil Bank is the main sponsor of the club.

On the occasion, Atish handed over the new jersey carrying the logo of Western Union to captain Pradeep Maharjan and former captain Surendra Tamang.

Atish said both the sides will be benefited from the agreement. He also said the deal could be extended next year if the club improved its performance.

Three Star are the winners of the recently held British Gurkha Cup Football Tournament.

RCT enter Budha Subba Gold Cup final

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

DHARAN, Feb 10: Annapurna Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) advanced to the final of the 12th International Tuborg Budha Subba Gold Cup Invitational Football Tournament defeating the hosts Dharan FC 4-1 in a tie-breaker on Wednesday.

The outcome of the match was decided by tiebreaker as the regular time of the match with 15 minutes of added time ended in a goalless draw. Krishna Kunwar, Santosh Gurung, Deepak Rai and Uttam Gurung scored for RCT in the tiebreaker while Raju Rai was the lone scorer for the hosts.

Hundreds of fans at the home ground were disheartened as the four-time winners Dharan crashed out after Bishnu Sunar and Yogesh Rai failed to score. RCT´s custodian Dilip Chhetri, who was later adjudged man-of-the-match, blocked both the shots to disappoint the hosts.

Dharan had a good opportunity to seal victory in the added time but Sudeep Limbu failed to convert a one-versus-one opportunity. Sudeep got the ball in the box as RCT´s defender tried to clear a powerful shot from Dharan´s Raju in the 1st minute of the added time.

Two minutes later, RCT´s Rishi Rai´s shot hit the bar and bounced back. Deepak Rai headed the deflected ball toward the post but Dharan´s goalkeeper Padmahang Limbu punched the ball. Both the teams missed about half a dozen opportunities to score.

Dharan´s manager Sachin Rai said it was their bad luck that Sudeep couldn´t convert in the extra time. “Our players had played well but luck didn´t favor us,” he said.

Meanwhile, RCT´s coach Madhu Karki said they won because their players were determined to win. “We couldn´t score during the regular time but our players were confident enough to win,” he said.

Thursday´s second semifinal will be held between Nepal Police Club and Himalayan Sherpa Club at the Dharan Stadium. The winners of the match will face RCT in the final match on Saturday.

Police enter semifinal

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

DHARAN, Feb 9: Nepal Police Club (NPC) registered a comfortable 4-0 win over ANFA U-16 on Tuesday to secure semifinal berth in the ongoing Budha Subba Gold Cup Football Tournament being held at Dharan Stadium.

Pankaj Shahi scored twice while Deepen Shrestha and Roshan Karki netted one each to beat the ANFA colts. The police will meet the Himalayan Sherpa Club of Kathmandu in the semifinal on Thursday.

Deepen opened the scoring for the police in the 17th minute through a header in a corner kick of Parbat Pandey. Pankaj doubled the scoring in the 40th minute and scored another two minutes after the half time to give the police a 3-0 lead.

Pankaj scored his first goal in a pass supplied by Yogesh Shrestha and added another utilizing a rebounder off Deepen´s powerful strike that hit the bar. Roshan sealed the victory in the 75th minute through a header in a corner kick of Yogesh.

The ANFA youngsters failed to pile pressure on the police team that came up without some of its key players like Jumanu Rai, Chetan Ghimire, Rakesh Shrestha and Deepak Paudel. Police took the entire match under their control against the physically weak opponents.

ANFA could not make any remarkable post attempts. Ram Thapa squandered a one-versus-one chance in the 37th minute as he failed to reach the ball with only the police goalie to beat in a pass supplied by Sulav Maskey.

Pankaj Shahi of the winning side was adjudged man-of-the-match.

Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha said that his side could not score many goals as many of his players were injured. Commenting on the opponents, Shrestha said, “The ANFA youngsters lack experience and power.”

ANFA coach Sunil Shrestha said that the defeat was natural to them. “Police are a strong team; my players could not come up with a good performance, so the defeat was natural.”

On Wednesday, the hosts Dharan Football Club will take on Annapurna RCT Club in the first semifinal.

San Miguel to sponsor A div league

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 8: San Miguel Beer, a product of Gorkha Brewery, will again be the main sponsor of the Martyrs´ Memorial A Division League Football Tournament.

As the main sponsor, San Miguel will provide a cash of Rs 2.5 million to conduct the league. San Miguel had also sponsored the last edition of the league three years ago.

Though the tournament will be inaugurated on February 12, the matches will formally begin from February 20, stated ANFA General Secretary Dhirendra Pradhan at a press meet on Monday. Nepal Police Club will take on Boys Union Club in the first match.

The matches in the league will be held in the double round robin system, which means a team will meet the other team twice in the league. Altogether, 12 teams will participate in the league. Two matches will be held every day and a total of 132 matches will be played in the tournament.

Pradhan said the tournament is expected to cost Rs 17 million. The winners of the league will bag a purse of Rs 2 million while the runners-up will receive Rs 1 million. The teams securing third to eighth positions will bag Rs 500,000, Rs 300,000, Rs 200,000, Rs 100,000, Rs 60,000 and Rs 40,000, respectively.The fair play team will receive Rs 50,000.

Each team participating in the league will get Rs 300,000 as preparation money and they will also receive 80 percent of the gate money collected during the match.

The ANFA will award a car to a player who has been contributing to the national squad for a long time and also participating in the league. Likewise, the best keeper, defender, midfielder, forward and coach will each be awarded with a motorbike.

San Miguel will also make a provision of a fan zone in the stadium.a

Himalayan Sherpa march into semis

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

DHARAN, Feb 8: Himalayan Sherpa Club of Kathmandu entered the semifinals of the 12th International Tuborg Budha Subba Gold Cup Invitational Football Tournament on Monday by defeating United Kurseong FC of Darjeeling 3-0.

Himalayan had entered the quarterfinals as a replacement for NRT which did not participate in the tournament despite getting a bye.

Bharat Khawas, Diyalo Rahim and Utsav KC contributed a goal each for Himalayan.

Despite playing an offensive game from the beginning, Himalayan opened their account only in the 41st minute. Khawas scored a one-versus-one with the goalie in a pass set by Diyalo.

In the 79th minute, Diyalo doubled the lead utilizing Dinesh Karki´s pass while Himalayan´s captain Utsav sealed the match in injury time. Utsav converted a penalty shot which Himalayan were awarded after Kurseong´s Sonam Bhutia brought down Bharat.

Kurseong, which put up a good performance in their previous match against Pokhara XI on Saturday could not keep up the pace against Himalayan. Kurseong couldn´t make any impressive post attempts in the entire game.

They missed a good opportunity in the 29th minute as Nagen Lama could not catch up with the ball that Himalayan´s goalkeeper Dashrath Adhikari dropped from his hand.

Meanwhile, Himalayan couldn´t convert about a dozen good opportunities. Jagajit Shrestha´s shot hit the bar and bounced back in the 47th minute.

Jagajit was later adjudged man-of-the-match.

Kurseong´s coach Dinkar Chhetri said they couldn´t perform their best as two strikers were injured. "Our strikers Nagen Lama and Amir Lama got injured while playing against Pokhara XI," he said.

Himalayan Sherpa´s coach Nirmal Lama expressed happiness for winning the match despite lack of good preparation.

Tuesday´s match will be held between the defending champions Nepal Police Club and ANFA U-16. The winners of Tuesday´s match will face Himalayan Sherpa on Friday.

Support from Norway

Dharan FC´s former footballer Kendra Limbu provided Rs 95,000 to be spent by the club for the Budha Subba Gold Cup, according to the club.

"Out of the received amount, Rs 75,000 will be provided to the runners-up, Rs 5,000 each for two emerging stars while the remaining amount will be used to buy tracksuits for the club´s footballers," said Subash Rai, president of Dharan FC.

Rai also said that Limbu has pledged to provide Rs 50,000 each year to award Dharan Tara prize to rising players.

U-16 boys defeat Bangladeshi club

SOURCE: REPUBLICA

DHARAN, Feb 7: ANFA U-16 team entered the quarterfinals of the 12th International Tuborg Budha Subba Gold Cup Invitational Football Tournament defeating AHM Kamrujamun Shreeti Sansad of Bangladesh 1-0 on Sunday.

Amar Dangol´s header in the 17th minute for ANFA became the decider of the match. In a header pass set by Sulav Maskey off Kushal Shrestha´s corner kick, Amar headed the ball past the net.

ANFA´s young footballers put up a spectacular show while keeping Bangladesh under pressure throughout the match. However, both the teams missed many opportunities to convert.

ANFA´s Ram Thapa missed a one-versus-one opportunity a minute after the first goal by Amar. Bangladeshi custodian Mohammad Projamad got hold of the ball which Amar had passed to Ram.

In the 44th minute, Bangladeshi defender Faisal Ahmed´s attempt to clear a shot of Sameer Limbu went toward his own post but was luckily saved by goalkeeper Projamad. Ram´s shot set by Santosh Thapa in the dying moments hit the bar and got deflected.

Likewise, Faisal´s attempt in the 22nd minute was foiled by ANFA´s defender Manoj Bista while Ashraf Quader´s powerful shots in the 30th and 32nd minutes were blocked by ANFA goalkeeper Laxman Thapa, thus preventing Bangladesh from leveling the match. Laxman foiled a header from Imrul Hassan in the 75th minute.

Bangladesh managed to strike back in the extra time of the second half but the referee ruled it as a foul charging the Bangladeshi player of touching the goalkeeper before netting the ball.

Amar was adjudged man-of-the-match.

Bangladeshi coach Riyad Mahmaud said they lost due to referee´s wrong decision to award foul instead of goal. “It was not an offside, neither was there any foul. But the referee´s decision was biased,” he said. "Besides that, the players were tired after traveling all night from Kathmandu."

Meanwhile, ANFA coach Sunil Shrestha said that his team performed as expected but missed many opportunities to convert.

Monday´s match will be held between United Kurseong FC of Darjeeling and Himalayan Sherpa of Kathmandu.