After listening to the representatives of players, clubs and the All Nepal Football Association for over an hour in a meeting at the Ministry of Youth and Sports on Tuesday, Minister Bablu Gupta asked the stakeholders: Are you ready for the Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ Division League?

The ANFA, with President Pankaj Bikram Nembang and General Secretary Kiran Rai as representatives, answered: Yes, we are ready to organise the A Division League. However, when Minister Gupta asked the ANFA to give a date, they could not give one instantly.

“We should coordinate with the clubs for it,” Nembang said in the meeting that was broadcast live on the ministry’s Facebook page. “We should understand their views and preparation status before deciding on it.”

But Minister Gupta insisted, “You give a date. The ministry will propose it to the clubs in the meeting on Wednesday. We will then decide on the final date.”

President Nembang then asked two clubs’ representatives—New Road Team’s President Sundar Narshing Joshi and Machhindra FC’s President Anil Shrestha—seated opposite to him, “How much time do you all need?”

Joshi and Shrestha argued that they would need at least two to three months. Finally, ANFA’s Nembang and Rai recommended a time-frame of 120 days, which Minister Gupta stressed as the ceiling.

But from the far side of the round table, Nepal Football Player Association’s President Bikram Lama, asked, visibly shocked, “Still 120 days more?”

Lama, a former national midfielder, has been leading the protest through NFPA demanding that the ‘A’ Division League, which has been on a hiatus for two seasons, be organised at the earliest.

After Church Boys United lifted the Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ Division League in June 2023, two seasons went by without the top-tier league. The players were elated when the ANFA, in May, declared that the league would be organised on December 16, that too in a home-and-away format.

However, as the date came closer, the ANFA decided to postpone the top-tier league by one more year, citing that the clubs were not prepared and the format required more homework.

“We never said we are not ready for the home-and-away format,” said Machhindra’s Shrestha. “We had said that we were ready after the ANFA proposed the format in May. But after that, the ANFA did not take the necessary measures, which included a proper discussion with the district associations for 14 home grounds for the 14 A Division clubs.”

Adding to it, NRT’s Joshi argued that the clubs cannot accept a home ground without proper inspection.

“The grounds should be proper, with minimum standards for the safety of players,” said Joshi, who is also the vice-president of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). “The clubs aim to win the A Division title to participate in the AFC club tournament, for which AFC license processes require an AFC-standard stadium, among others. It is not as easy as the ANFA says, and it requires a good amount of time and support from several stakeholders.”

The clubs have said they decided to agree on the National League as a consolation for the A-Division since the home-and-away format was not possible in such a short time. “We thought that at least six of the A Division teams would get the chance to play rather than leaving all the clubs without a tournament,” Shrestha said.

The ANFA, on November 3, had agreed with the 14 A Division clubs to organise the National League, with the winner qualifying for the AFC tournament. The National League is played by six top-ranked A Division clubs and four top teams from the ANFA President League.

The National League was proposed to begin on December 24, which is now likely to get postponed for some time, as the A Division League, as per Tuesday’s agreement, should begin before March 11, 2026.

“120 days from today is the maximum ceiling,” Minister Gupta said. “We will hold discussions with the clubs tomorrow [Wednesday] and they should be ready to play within the deadline. The ministry will be standing by with the clubs and ANFA to help the league be organised successfully.”

And when Machhindra’s President Shrestha said that the 120-day time was more than enough, the ANFA stated that it was ready to organise the A Division League whenever the clubs agreed to. The representatives of the three departmental clubs—Tribhuvan Army, Nepal Police and APF—also accepted the proposal.