Narendra Shrestha was elected as the president of the All Nepal Football Association (Anfa) through its 15th general assembly on Monday.

In its first ever voting for the president, Shrestha beat  Karma Tshering Sherpa by 36 votes to 31. A total of 67 votes were cast including 45 district FAs, 12 ‘A’ Division, 4 ‘B’ Division and 3 ‘C’ Division clubs. While Jhapa District FA was an absentee, ‘B’ Division outfit Shree Kumari Club was ineligible to vote following its recent two-year suspension. One representative each from National Players Association, Referee Association, National Football Coaches Association and Women’s Commission also accounted for the total votes.

The Asian Football Confederation had issued a directive to hold Anfa elections for president and vice-president after Fifa slapped a 10-year suspension on disgraced former president Ganesh Thapa on bribery and corruption charges. In a three-way battle for the vice-president Mani Kunwar was a distinct winner defeating his closest contender Deepak Khati. Kunwar got 34 votes and Khati, standing in the elections from Sherpa panel, had 25 votes. Former national team footballer and coach Upendra Man Singh garnered only eight votes.

The vice-president post was left vacant after the death of Lalit Krishna Shrestha, who had passed away over a year ago. New president Shrestha, who had looked after Anfa at the interim after the fall of Thapa, will now look after the country’s football governing body for the remaining one year tenure. Thapa and late Shrestha were elected on October 24, 2013.

The result came a shock for Sherpa, a vice-president in the current committee, who had led a revolt against Thapa and his leadership demanding an end to corruption and change in the football governing body. Newly-elected president Shrestha said there will be no impartiality.

“We don’t want to keep any prejudice. The result of the election is an ordinary process and we have to work together to make sure that it relates to the development of the game,” said Shrestha adding his leadership has already set up plans for the next five years. “Football is currently in safe hands and we would like to continue that. We have set several plans and will implement them at different parts of the country. And to make clubs sustainable, there will be concrete plans as well,” said Shrestha.

Meanwhile, Monday’s general assembly also endorsed the Anfa executive committee’s decision to appoint Tashi Ghale as the Honorary President. Ghale, a hotelier who once headed top tier Manang Marshyangdi Club, had pulled out of the presidential race making it a two horse battle.