Last week, the All Nepal Football Association and the Nepal Football Player Association inked an agreement to begin the Martyr’s Memorial A Division League on April 13. The decision meant the top-tier league would finally be held after over 1,000 days. It came as a relief to footballers who had long demanded a platform to play. But it hasn’t sat well with the majority of the participating clubs.

The two organisations had reached the deal after NFPA, the umbrella body of Nepali footballers, padlocked ANFA’s office on March 8. The agreement was reached a day later.

Less than an hour after ANFA and the NFPA decided to organise the top-tier league, clubs’ representatives expressed reservations, citing that the decision came without consulting them.

On Monday, A Division clubs’ officials marched onto the ANFA Complex with a seven-point demand, including the organisation of the A Division League under the previous agreement between the clubs and ANFA on November 3 last year.

“As per the current schedule, the National League will conclude on April 12. And the governing body wants to hold the A Division League opener on April 13,” said Karma Tsering Sherpa, president of the Himalayan Sherpa Club, as he sat in front of the ANFA Complex’s main gate. “How can the top-tier league be organised when the clubs are not provided time to buy and sell players? How can the transfers take place when the players will be playing for other clubs until April 12?”

Police officers were standing at the main gate of the ANFA Complex when Sherpa and dozens of different A Division clubs’ officials arrived there on Monday afternoon, demanding a meeting with the ANFA officials. And if their demands were unheard, the clubs were prepared to padlock the ANFA office.

“If ANFA decides over critical issues on a whim when their office is padlocked, we would do the same,” Bishwash Bikram Shah, Friends’ Club Kopundole’s president, had said at the ANFA Complex last Monday. And Shah was the loudest when the police interfered on Monday.

After hours of heated clashes outside the gate, ANFA finally decided to hold a meeting and called eight representatives inside. The eight individuals who went for the meeting were Shah, Machhindra FC’s Anil Shrestha, Church Boys United’s Ruben Rai, Satdobato Youth Club’s Kapil Rana Magar, New Road Team’s Sundar Raj Joshi, Manang Marsyangdi Club’s Bijay Ghale, Ranipokhari Corner Team’s Kumar Rajbhandari and Three Star Club’s Jaya Kishan Shrestha.

According to ANFA spokesperson Suresh Shah, the footballing body heard the demands of the clubs and shared its views. “We will call the clubs as well as NFPA for another round of discussion,” Shah told the Post.

But the discussion did not go as easily as Shah shared. “There were heated arguments. There were no agreements reached,” a club official who was in the meeting told the Post under the condition of anonymity. “When ANFA said they would call players’ representatives for another round of discussion, the meeting turned ugly and concluded with neither of the sides satisfied.”

Clubs’ representatives were present around the ANFA Complex even when it was raining heavily at around 6pm. And when police started returning, the clubs padlocked the main gate of the ANFA Office and left.

“We padlocked the ANFA office, but we believe ANFA will break it tomorrow morning,” the club official shared. “We will keep raising our voice against unprofessional footballing activities.”

‘Unprofessional A Division League unacceptable’

Alongside players, the clubs have also been demanding that the footballing body organise the league cycle on a regular basis.

Furthermore, the clubs have even agreed to migrate outside the Kathmandu Valley to make ANFA’s plan of home-away format possible and make the clubs ‘professional.’

As a result, on November 3, the clubs and ANFA reached an agreement to play in the National League by allowing all A Division clubs to participate this season and the A Division League, in a home-away format, next season, starting on December 18, 2026.

According to the agreement, the clubs had to complete all the processes related to their home ground by April 13, while the teams’ entry would begin on July 19. Similarly, registration for players was to open on November 17, and the fixtures were to be revealed on November 19.

Moreover, ANFA and clubs had also agreed on a pre-season home-and-away tournament from November 19 to December 17.

Agitated clubs’ officials had also brought a big flex with the November agreement printed on it.

“ANFA has gone against the agreement and decided on a new date without our consultation,” said Sherpa, who is also the former president of ANFA. “The steps by the current executive body of ANFA show they want to destroy Nepali football. They do not care about the standards and process of club football.”

The clubs clarified that they will not participate in a league which will be organised without proper procedures.

“How can we move ahead with the contract process when the players are playing for different clubs in the National League with the Transfer Window still not opened?” read the second point of the seven-point demand by the clubs. “The process should move forward based on the previous agreement with the clubs.”

As per the FIFA and AFC regulations, there should be two transfer windows in a domestic league—the first window opens before the tournament begins, and the other when the competition reaches halfway. Neither of the windows has been decided for the A-Division League, slated to have its opener on April 13 and the remaining matches from May 3.

The clubs have also raised concerns over the problems related to work permits for foreign players when the league is organised at such short notice. The National Sports Council, of late, has also asked ANFA to provide work permit details of overseas players in the National League, as there have been complaints that many players were playing with tourist visas.

Furthermore, ANFA is yet to decide on the 14th club in the A Division League following the dispute between Three Star and APF. In its letter informing the clubs of the A Division League opener on April 13, only 13 clubs were mentioned.

“Does ANFA plan to organise the A Division League with only 13 clubs?” Sherpa said. “There must be 14 clubs as per the tournament’s guidelines. How can they call for the league when they are yet to finalise the 14th club?”

In order to ensure there are no legitimacy and legal problems in the future, the fifth point of the clubs’ demands asks ANFA to ensure the 14th club.

The clubs, in their last demand, have sought technical and financial assurances before the league’s timeline is decided on.