Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau has launched an investigation into officials of the All Nepal Football Association over alleged match-fixing, financial irregularities and fraud.

The bureau has arrested ANFA treasurer Rabindra Joshi and accounts officer Sanjiv Pandey following a preliminary investigation. It is also examining the role of several other association officials.

The investigation comes as ANFA remains under an indefinite suspension from FIFA over alleged third-party interference, a move that has barred Nepal’s national teams and clubs from international competitions and cut the association off from FIFA and AFC funding and development programmes.

Superintendent of  Police Anupam Shamsher JBR, spokesperson for CIB, said the bureau was investigating Joshi and Pandey on charges related to match-fixing, irregularities and fraud.

“The Lalitpur District Court has allowed us to keep both of them in custody for four days for investigation,” Rana told Kantipur. “We will take further statements and conduct additional questioning during this period.”

Police are also preparing to bring more people under investigation if their names emerge during questioning.

ANFA has faced allegations of financial irregularities for years, with complaints filed with the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The issue had also reached Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee. When a complaint was filed on January 6, 2019, the anti-graft body asked the sports ministry to investigate. The ministry subsequently formed a committee led by joint secretary Arun Prasad Neupane.

“Another complaint was filed recently after allegations that people accused in the past had been protected,” a police investigator said. “The bureau received a complaint from the National Sports Council as well as another separate complaint. We then began the investigation.”

As part of the probe, the bureau raided ANFA’s office in Lalitpur on Friday. Police seized laptops, four CPUs and other electronic equipment.

What are the allegations?

Investigators say their preliminary findings point to irregularities over the staging of home-and-away matches between Nepal and Bahrain in the joint qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The two teams were supposed to play one match in Nepal and the other in Bahrain. Instead, both matches were played in Bahrain.

“The match between Nepal and Bahrain was supposed to be played once in Nepal and once in Bahrain,” a police officer involved in the investigation said. “But both matches were played in Bahrain.”

Investigators suspect financial dealings were involved in arranging both matches in Bahrain.

ANFA officials, however, have said Nepal could not host the fixture because the AFC had deemed the playing surface at Kathmandu’s Dasharath Stadium unfit for international matches.

Both matches were played at Bahrain’s National Stadium.

Nepal lost the first match 5-0. Before that, it had lost 4-0 to the United Arab Emirates and 2-0 to Yemen. The match that should have been played in Nepal was also held in Bahrain, where Nepal lost 3-0.

Police are also investigating alleged irregularities in the procurement of jerseys and playing kits.

“We are also looking into the purchase of clothing from both KELME and KTM City,” the investigator said.

Investigators are further examining alleged irregularities in the sale of tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“The concern is that the ticket-selling procedure provided by FIFA was not followed properly,” the investigator said. “We are looking into that as well.”