Patan High Court has ordered the government not to restrict the officials of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) from travelling abroad.

The division bench of justices Ganesh Prasad Baral and Tejendra Prasad Sharma Sapkota gave the order on Friday.

ANFA president Pankaj Bikram Nembang, on June 23, had filed a writ at the court with the Ministry of Education and Sports, the National Sports Council, the Home Ministry’s secretary and the Department of Immigration as defendants.

The bench of justice Krishna Murari Siwakoti, on June 25, had issued showcase and interim orders over the writ and called the stakeholders for a hearing. And the order came after the hearing on Friday.

The Department of Immigration—under the request of the National Sports Council, recommendation of the then Ministry of Youth and Sports and direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs—had updated the passport details of 24 ANFA officials, including Nembang and Rai, under ‘watchlist’ in April.

As a result of the restriction, ANFA officials could not participate in the FIFA and AFC congresses in Vancouver, Canada.

Further, Nembang and ANFA general secretary Kiran Rai were also denied entry by immigration officials at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), on June 8, while they were scheduled to take a flight to Mexico, via Istanbul, for the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The restriction imposed on ANFA officials’ abroad travel was viewed as serious third-party interference by FIFA. The governing body of international football had also mentioned the move as a serious violation of the autonomy of member associations while suspending Nepali football indefinitely on June 24.

Sasmit Pokharel, Minister for Education and Sports, had defended the move of barring ANFA officials from travelling abroad on Thursday.

“ANFA officials shared dissatisfaction for being disallowed to travel for the World Cup,” Pokharel said while revealing Cabinet’s decision. “They will go only when Nepali football starts showing promise.”

Nonetheless, the government is likely to back off from the decision after the High Court order on Friday.

Meanwhile, it is not the final verdict in the case. “There will be further analysis by the time for the final verdict,” the order states. “Until then, the defendants have been ordered not to obstruct ANFA officials from travelling abroad.”