For many Nepali football fans, Hari Khadka is one of the best footballers Nepal has ever seen.

Khadka, with 13 goals, is the joint highest goal scorer for the men’s national team alongside Nirajan Rayamajhi and Anjan Bista. He is currently the Technical Director of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).

However, despite his role as an ‘architect’ for football in Nepal, Khadka has been busy with a new, though temporary, responsibility—the head coach of the Nepali men’s national team.

As the Australian UEFA pro-licensed coach Matt Ross resigned as Nepal’s head coach on October 28, with four months left in his one-year contract, the post was vacant with the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers’ second leg match with Malaysia on the doorstep.

Thus, with a short period of time to find another good coach, the ANFA decided to utilise the skills and knowledge of Khadka in the meantime and appointed him for the job on October 31.

Khadka, on November 2, had called 35 players in the preliminary squad for the match against Malaysia, alongside the friendly with Bangladesh slated for November 13.

The players had arrived at Dasharath Stadium on Thursday as the close camp began. Two days later, Khadka brought down the number to 23.

The trio of goalkeepers in the squad contains Kiran Chemjong, Bishal Sunar and Deep Karki. The other players are Abhishek Limbu, Aditya Shakya, Ananta Tamang, Anjan Bista, Arik Bista, Ayush Ghalan, Dinesh Henjan, Dipesh Gurung, Gillespye Jung Karki, Kushal Deuba, Laken Limbu, Mani Kumar Lama, Manish Dangi, Rohit Chand, Rohan Karki, Sanish Shrestha, Subash Bam, Sumit Shrestha, Suman Shrestha and Yogesh Gurung.

Nawayug Shrestha, George Prince Karki, Bimal Pandey, Diwakar Chaudhary, Srijan Raj Gautam, Shankhar Tharu and Kritish Ratna Chhunju, among others, were the ones who did not make it to the final squad.

Even if Nepal defeated Malaysia on November 18, it would not create any chance for the Gorkhalis to enter the 2027 Asian Cup, as they have already lost four matches in the Qualifiers.

However, when Khadka’s team face Bangladesh on November 13 in a friendly, which seems like a consolation after the second friendly between the two in Kathmandu in September was cancelled due to the Gen Z movement, Khadka could see his record broken if Anjan Bista scored.

With one more goal, Anjan will be Nepal’s all-time leading goal scorer, surpassing Rayamajhi and Khakda.

Meanwhile, Anjan and several key players of Nepal might not have been in an optimal mind frame, a scenario that could affect the team’s performance. Anjan, Chand, Arik and Dangi were present at the footballers’ protest against the ANFA on Thursday. The protest is likely to intensify within a week, with the players' further steps uncertain.