On Sunday, the Nepal Football Player Association padlocked the office of the All Nepal Football Association in Satdobato, Lalitpur, putting forth a three-point demand. Two days later, on Tuesday, the lock was removed after the umbrella body of footballers and the governing body of Nepali football reached an agreement.

In a joint press conference, which followed the lock-removing process, the NFPA and ANFA revealed the date for the opening match of the Martyr’s Memorial A Division League—April 13.

And for that, ANFA plans to amend the fixtures of the ongoing National League, which is scheduled to conclude on April 12, and end it sooner. There are 60 more fixtures remaining in the National League.

“Where there are double headers in a day, one more fixture will be added,” Sanjib Mishra, ANFA’s tournament director, told journalists during the joint press conference. “Other effective steps will be taken and the National League will be concluded sooner.”

While the first match of the A Division will be held on April 13, the rest of the fixtures will take place only from May 3, ANFA says.

The decision to organise the A Division opener weeks before the tournament sees regular matches was to assure the players that the top-tier league will take place, according to the agreement.

While the players seemed happy with the A Division League resuming after over 1,000 days, the same was not the case with participating clubs’ officials.

In less than an hour after the conclusion of the joint press conference, a group of several executive officials of over half-a-dozen A Division clubs told journalists that they were not consulted.

“Should we not be consulted?” questioned Karma Tsering Sherpa, president of Himalayan Sherpa Club, the only among the 14 A Division clubs that did not participate in the National League.

“As per the ANFA Statute, the National League should have six of the top A Division clubs and four clubs qualifying from the President League,” said Bishwas Bikram Shah, president of Friends’ Club Kopundole. “But as the players have been deprived of a top league for over two years, we adhered to ANFA’s plan of expanding the number of participation by opening the doors to other eight A Division clubs.”

The clubs say that the decision to host the A Division League opener on April 13 has increased confusion. Should the clubs participate in the A Division with the same set of players from the National League? When will the clubs be allowed to make transfers?

Sherpa, who is also the former president of ANFA, argued that the plan to conclude the National League sooner would increase the toll on the players.

“The clubs have been asked to play in the morning. Really? Football during early hours?” Sherpa said. “And now, the fixtures will be more congested. Grounds are not football friendly, and it has only increased the risks of injuries. And as soon as the National League concludes, they want us to be ready for the top-tier.”

Sherpa is also the chairman of Nepal Football Club Association, which submitted a seven-point memorandum to ANFA on Tuesday. The demands include criticism on early election without fresh mandate, a fixed annual calendar for the league cycle and an environment for the clubs to fulfill criterias of AFC Club Licensing.

All 17 clubs in the National League have built a basic team. They have not spent sufficiently to procure top-class players because the National League does not have promotion and relegation. The winner has been promised a slot in the AFC club competition, which is still uncertain.

Players’ representatives said that they were dissatisfied with ANFA’s decision to expand the National League and organise it as an alternative to the A Division.

“A Division ensures that the lower tier—B and C Divisions—are also organised in a cycle. It increases opportunities for players, and the competition is intense,” said Bikram Lama, president at the NFPA. “The league cycle should be regular, we have demanded it from the current ANFA executive committee ever since their formation in 2022. We had to padlock the building as our demands went unnoticed every time.”

Mishra told the Post that they have started the process to reveal a proper timeline for the A Division League. “The clubs will have to register a minimum number of players sooner while transfers will be opened probably from April 5 to 29,” he said.

Meanwhile, regarding the other two demands—details of players’ perpetual fund alongside reimbursement of promised prize money and regular salary—NFPA said they felt assured that ANFA would fulfill them soon.