All Nepal Football Association on Tuesday hired former Australian footballer Gary Phillips as ANFA technical director for one year.

An emergency ANFA central executive committee meeting approved Phillips as the technical director as recommended by the committee tasked to hire technical manpower. "Of the seven applications received for the post, we approved Phillips' application. He will earn an annual $100,000. Asian Football Confederation will pay the salary of the Australian," said ANFA senior Vice President Pankaj Nembang.

Phillips, the former manager of Papua New Guinea women's football team, will succeed Japanese national Chikai Takeda who remained in Nepal for three year since taking over the job in February 2016. Phillips has wide range of experience in coaching. He has also worked as coach at the AFC and was assigned head coach and technical director of the Malaysian Premier League side Sabha FC besides managing various other clubs.

Sanjiv Singh was nominated the head of coaches’ education, Nabin Maharjan the head of elite and youth and Hari Khadka the head of women's football. ANFA's physical fitness trainer Bivek Bikrant Adhikari has been relieved of his position after he was involved in brawl with national team goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong. The meeting has also decided to reprimand the goalkeeper for the fracas.

ANFA also decided to play first five matches of the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification at away venue due to unavailability of Dashrath Stadium, which is currently undergoing renovation. Nepal were originally scheduled to host Kuwait on September 5, Taiwan on September 10, Jordan on October 15 and visit Kuwait on November 19 for their fifth match.

Dashrath Stadium, the only international standard stadium fit to host such matches, is currently undergoing renovation for the impending 13th South Asian Games scheduled for December 1-10. The stadium has not been used for any competitive sporting activity ever since it was damaged by April 25, 2015 earthquake. It is still uncertain if the stadium would be ready to host international tournament before November.

ButANFA has requested with Kuwait,Taiwan and Jordan FAs to flip the home and awaymatches. "All three nations have already approved our proposal. We nowneed to get the final approval from AFC in this matter," said ANFA spokespersonKiran Rai. Furthermore, Kuwait is set to host both leg of their matches againstNepal as reqested by ANFA. "Both home and away matches against Kuwait willbe played in Kuwait," said Rai. Nepal are scheduled to visit Australia intheir third match on October 10 and Jordan on October 15.