Nepali football fans have been eagerly waiting to cheer for their beloved teams at the top-tier club competition of the country—the Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ Division League. However, they have been forced to extend their wait as the All Nepal Football Association, the governing body of Nepali football, announced on Monday that the league would be held only next year.

As per the league’s structure, it should be organised annually, with the C-Division qualifier, ‘C’ Division and ‘B’ Division organised side-by-side for promotion and relegation procedures under a year-long cycle.

However, since Church Boys United lifted their maiden ‘A’ Division League title in June 2023 during their debut season, the league has faced a two-season hiatus.

As questions kept piling up against the footballing administration for being unable to organise the annual league regularly, the ANFA, in May, had announced the much-awaited 46th edition of the league would be organised from December 16.

Only to excite the fans and players, the ANFA further announced that the top-flight league would be played outside the Kathmandu Valley, that too in a home-and-away format by managing home grounds for the 14 A-Division clubs in 14 districts.

In September, the premier division was rescheduled to start from December 24 in a revised calendar by the ANFA.

But in mid-October, the ANFA announced that they were not ready for the home-and-away format. It was expected as the clubs had publicly stated that they cannot find a home ground and arrange other requirements at such short notice.

Meanwhile, after the downfall of the KP Sharma Oli-led government on September 9 and the appointment of Bablu Gupta as the Minister for Youth and Sports on October 26, football fans and players were positive that the ‘A’ Division League would still be held, at least in a centralised venue as in the previous seasons.

In a meeting called by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and broadcast live on October 30, ANFA’s General Secretary Kiran Rai and A-Division club representatives had stated the league would be held on time.

However, on Monday afternoon, the ANFA and the 14 A-Division clubs agreed to not organise the league this year, but rather play in a National League as a consolation. The agreement has drawn a major backlash, with senior national football players warning of taking the matter to the streets.

“If the A Division League is not organised this year, during the previously announced time frame, we will be forced to raise our voice on the streets,” read a statement by Nepal Football Player Association (NFPA) on Monday night.

“If the top-tier league is not organised, 1,250 to 2,100 players from 14 clubs each in the A, B and C Divisions will be barred from playing,” read the statement signed by NFPA President Bikram Lama.

Nepal’s national team’s key defender Ananta Tamang could also not hold his anger after the ANFA-club agreement.

“I am the captain of Church Boys United, the defending champions of the A Division League, and I was also named the best player of that league,” Tamang wrote on his Facebook on Monday night while sharing NFPA’s statement. “Under normal circumstances, I would have already played in two more editions of the league, either defending or reclaiming the title—but I have not had that fortune… Today, the title of ‘defending champion’ feels like a burden to me. I want to play every year and win championships—not be remembered as a champion forever after playing just once.”

Tamang continued, “The league is not only for me, but for thousands of players like me. I sincerely appeal to all officials of the A, B, and C Division clubs—please don’t kill us while we’re still alive.”

The NFPA representatives had also met with Minister Bablu Gupta on Sunday, demanding the league cycle be organised annually.

“The decision of the ANFA and clubs to not organise the A Division League this year has left us devastated,” Bikesh Kuthu, Nepal’s national team goalkeeper and vice-president of the NFPA, told the Post on Tuesday. “The decision is a gut punch for hundreds of players, who have not been able to call themselves a full-time footballer for over 800 days.”

Kuthu, who lamented ANFA Executive Committee member Anil Malla’s Facebook post of Monday claiming that the game was active in the country, also found his Facebook account suspended after multiple reports on Tuesday morning.

“If the authorities fail to ensure the league this season, we will be lacing our boots, wearing our jerseys, but not to enter the football ground,” Kuthu continued, “It will be to march on the streets against the unnecessary politics that have led hundreds of footballers to end their dream of playing this beautiful game in the country.”

As the concerns are rising, ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nembang is busy handing over footballs, under the FIFA Football for School programme, in districts outside the Kathmandu Valley, and some other officials are in Hetauda for the ANFA President League.