On Tuesday, as Nepal men’s national football team skipper Kiran Chemjong was responding to journalists’ questions during the farewell programme for the squad, new head coach Matt Ross was busy on his tablet.

“I have been keeping track of my players and the opponents,” Ross told the Post, looking away from his gadget. “There is a shortage of well-managed data on our players. Now, I am keeping a proper record. Without enough data, it is difficult to analyse improvements and other factors in the players.”

It was apparent that Ross, who signed a one-year contract with the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) on March 2, was pretty serious about transforming Nepali football and taking it to new heights.

“The transformation will not be easy, but it needs a good start,” Ross added. “The games against Singapore and Malaysia will be the launching pads for my dreams.”

Ross, with his 23-member squad, is playing a friendly game with Singapore on March 21. He will then head to Malaysia before the first leg of the third round of the Qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Cup.

“The selection of 23 players was not easy because Nepal has a lot of talents,” Ross told the media. “I take responsibility for the good, bad and the ugly.”

Ross said that in the last two weeks that he started training the national team, the players have gained his trust. “I trust these players,” he said. “Their attitude, commitment and performance during the training sessions are astonishing.”

Meanwhile, Chemjong said that the overall squad was happy with the new coach. “We are all excited to play under the new head coach,” Chemjong said. “The players are adapting to the style of the new coach.”

Both Ross and Chemjong said that the results of their training will be apparent on the ground when they face Singapore first.

“The addition of youngsters like Subash Bam alongside the experience of Laken Limbu and Rohit Chand Thakuri will be beneficial for us,” Chemjong said.

Nevertheless, while the chiefs were calm on Tuesday, they do not expect it to be the same three days later.

“At the moment, I have no concerns and worries. But it will be a different story on Friday night,” Ross said. “I am excited to see how my team will perform in their first game. We are confident…”

Nepal has had a poor record in the last couple of years, increasing the challenge for Ross. Yet, he believes that Nepal will not have to walk the same path again.

“One of my eyes is focused on the upcoming two games while the other one is planning for a long-term football development in Nepal,” Ross shared.

Nepal has lost three of the last five games while drawing and winning one each. In what was their latest fixture, Nepal defeated Afghanistan 2-0 on November 16 last year during the tri-nation friendly including Tajikistan. They, however, lost to Tajikistan 0-4 on November 13.

Likewise, Nepal lost 0-3 to Bahrain and 0-4 to the UAE on March 27 and June 6 last year, respectively. The only draw came against Yemen on June 11. The games in March and June were the second-leg fixtures of the second round of the Asian Cup Qualifiers.

“The year 2025 is busy for us. We also have SAFF,” Chemjong said. “I wish that ANFA will manage some friendlies before the SAFF tournament as the opponents—India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka—are training harder and becoming stronger with heritage players.”

Meanwhile, the ANFA on Tuesday appointed Urjan Shrestha as the head coach of the national U-19 team. Shrestha will prepare the team for the SAFF U-19 Men’s Championship 2025 (May 9 to 18) in India.