After much suspense and drama, the president of the All Nepal Football Association (Anfa), Ganesh Thapa was finally forced out of office for two months while authorities investigate him for the possible embezzlement of funds and abuse of office powers. Now the big question is what’s next? What happens in these two months? There are many unanswered questions. But first and foremost, has the government initiated the investigation?

No one really knows for sure. I have not heard the government make an official announcement in regards to launching an investigation against Thapa. Indeed, the public has the right to information. Honestly speaking, the picture remains as murky as ever. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), the government anti-graft agency, is supposed to mount a full-scale investigation. That has not happened yet.

Grounds for penalty

There are clear grounds for an investigation against Thapa. Keep in mind, he has been temporarily debarred from exercising the powers and discharging the duties of his office for a period of two months based on the Public Accounts Committee’s findings. He will be back in the saddle after serving his two months suspension, unless the government decides to push ahead with the case and extend the period of suspension. Otherwise, the suspension would make no sense and turn out to be more of a gimmick than anything else. Don’t be surprised if this happens.

Anfa President Thapa has maintained his innocence all along and vowed to fight the corruption charges against him. Ever since the scandal surfaced and gained ground, the beleaguered Anfa chief has gone on the offensive, saying that critics and opponents have lied and falsely accused him of wrongdoings. We have heard him shamelessly, stubbornly, and passionately defend himself dozens of times. But Thapa seems to be good at deceit.

Away game

I wonder what Thapa and his band of loyal supporters have to say about the latest revelation made by none other than Fifa, the world football governing body about the misappropriation of Anfa funds? Fifa confirmed that international auditors KPMG had audited Anfa and the findings concluded that there had been illegal cash movements. As a result, in 2012 and 2013, Anfa was subjected to a forensic audit, followed by an ethics committee investigation. Furthermore, only this year, we learned that specific support had been given by Fifa and KPMG as part of a so-called ‘Performance Programme’ to improve Anfa’s financial management and governance.

It is absurd to hear Fifa say that Anfa is implementing the corrective measures it recommended. Obviously, Fifa seems sympathetic and supportive of Thapa. I strongly believe they have a vested interest in keeping him on as long as they can. Or else, they would have shown him the door by now. This is nothing but a very unfortunate cover up by Fifa to protect a discredited person like Thapa, who is enmeshed in corruption and bribery.  Why does Fifa knowingly ignore the fact that Thapa is part of the problem, not the solution? They are doing Nepal football a bigger disservice by supporting the Anfa boss, who considers Anfa his personal fiefdom.

Fifa’s ethics committee has made itself a laughing stock. But the big irony is that, like apples and cherries, the world football governing body gets to pick and choose when it comes to suspending or banning football association presidents for similar ethics violations (soliciting and accepting bribes).

Fifa only instigated an investigation after Reuters, an international news service, drew their attention to the corruption scandal revolving around Thapa. A ‘Save Nepali Football’ group that sprung up, consisting of present and former Anfa officials, national players, and coaches, deserve full credit for calling national and international attention to the crisis facing Nepal football. But disturbingly, Thapa and his cronies have kept Fifa’s investigation of Anfa under wraps.

Despite everything, Thapa appears unaffected by the recent turn of events. In all likelihood, Fifa has already assured him of their full support in exchange for Anfa’s support to Fifa boss Sepp Blatter in the upcoming Fifa presidential elections. Evidently Fifa’s assurance keeps Thapa afloat and going.

Home ground

‘Save Nepali Football,’ spearheaded by Anfa Vice-Presidents Karma Tsering Sherpa and Bijay Narayan Manandhar, have rightly requested Fifa Secretary-General Jerome Valcke and Ethics Committee Chief Michael Garcia copies of the reports and audits. They were kept in the dark about the investigation and as Anfa Vice-Presidents, they have the right to be given all the information they need in order to learn about the shoddy business practices that took place within Anfa. Also, it would become a key piece of evidence to support the corruption charges against Thapa.

On the domestic front, Thapa has less than two months time to work out an exit strategy   out of the current crisis that is threatening to sink his over two decades of Anfa presidency. Whether Fifa rallies around Thapa or not, the government must not shy away from its duties. The government must carry out its investigation and prosecute perpetrators (if found guilty) like Thapa and his associates, suspected of corruption, embezzlement of funds, and abuse of power.

What’s the worst-case scenario? Fifa can suspend Nepal from all international football due to government interference in its football association. It may be recalled that in the year 2000, Fifa refrained from suspending Nepal from international football, despite the formation of a parallel football association headed by Geeta Rana to counter the Ganesh Thapa-led Anfa, which was recognised by Fifa.

Let us just hope that good sense prevails and Fifa will not act against the best interests of the Nepali football fraternity. Otherwise, it could spell further disaster for Nepal football, which has long suffered under Thapa’s leadership.

Thapa is a sports journalist based in the US