Alleging All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) president Karma Tshering Sherpa of irregularities, senior vice president Pankaj Bikram Nembang announced his candidacy for the top position of football governing body in Pulchowk, Lalitpur, on Friday.
The ANFA election scheduled exactly after one month on June 20 will pick a new 17-member executive committee for four-year tenure. Nembang will vie for presidency with sitting president Sherpa who is expected to formally file candidacy on Monday.
Nembang also formally filed his candidacy at the ANFA election committee an hour after his announcement and became the first individual to file candidacy for the top post. According to the ANFA Election Committee schedule, the date for filing candidacy has been fixed from May 19 to 26.
Bharat Budh Thapa (Jumla), Dipendra Dhimal (Morang), Bhojraj Shahi (Banke), Anil Malla (Dhangadhi) and Rabindra Chand have filed candidacy for executive members.
Nembang, one of the close aides of Sherpa when he led a revolt against long-serving former ANFA president Ganesh Thapa before he faced a 10-year suspension from all football related activities in 2015, made the announcement with the slogan 'our commitment modernisation and professionalism in Nepali football.'
Nembang also said that they would come up with a whole panel after discussion with his group. Apart from a president, the electoral general assembly will pick a senior vice president, three vice presidents and 12 members.
Another vice president, Bir Bahadur Khadka also declared his candidacy for senior vice presidency from Nembang faction in the announcement ceremony attended by representatives of 'A', 'B' and 'C' Division Clubs, district FA officials, coaches and former top office bearers of ANFA.. He, however, is yet to file his candidacy.
Vice president Krishna Thapa, treasurer Rabindra Joshi, spokesperson Kiran Rai, members Dinesh Byanjankar and Bijay Ghale were among the members of the current executive committee to attend the announcement ceremony.
"We had promised change, transparency and collective leadership when we [Sherpa faction] swept the election four years ago," said Nembang. "But nothing changed except the face of the leader. Instead, Sherpa worked unilaterally and violated ANFA regulations and was involved in policy level, financial and managerial wrongdoings."
Nemang and his aide, who spent most of the time criticising Sherpa, claimed that it was essential for him to file candidacy for presidency to take Nepali football forward.
The ANFA election will have 87 votes in total including 45 from district FAs, 34 from 'A', 'B' and 'C' Division clubs — 14 'A' Division clubs, 11 from 'B' Division clubs and nine 'C' Division clubs — four from the clubs picked for national football league and one each from coach, referee, players’ association and women's committee.
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