KATHMANDU: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has come under fire for sending a Nepali futsal team to Iran to participate in the AFC Futsal Championship Qualifiers without due preparation.

Stakeholders have complained that the futsal team has been selected haphazardly and sent without preparation.

The Futsal team left for the destination to take part in the qualifying tournament on Saturday.

Nepal lacks infrastructure for futsal. The players did not undergo training for the tournament due to the lack of infrastructure at home.

According to Daba Lama, coordinator of the futsal committee, the team left for Iran in coordination with ANFA.

This kind of haphazard decision was taken after ANFA formed a new futsal committee led by Karma Chhiring Sherpa.

Nepali futsal team is in Iran now to take part in the AFC Cup Futsal Championship Qualifiers. The top two teams will qualify for the AFC Cup Futsal Championship to be held in Turkmenistan in 2020.

Nepal’s participation in the international futsal tournament and its selection process has questioned the ANFA leadership.

The disgruntled group in ANFA has complained that Lama has been participating in the international football tournaments rather than giving time to futsal. He has not introduced any plans and policies since he assumed the post as coordinator of the futsal committee last year.

On Thursday, Nepal National Football Team returned home from Jordan after participating in world cup qualifiers. Lama had participated in the tournament as an official from Nepal.

However, this is not the first time Nepal is taking part in an international futsal tournament. Two years ago, the Nepali futsal team had participated in the international tournament. The players had been selected through a league system. Ramesh Rayamajhi was the coordinator then.

Lama claimed to have informed the ANFA leadership about the plan but the governing body of football in Nepal paid no heed to it.

Nepal’s participation in the international futsal tournament and its selection process has questioned the ANFA leadership.

“I am involved in football rather than running after it. I have already worked as the manager of the football,” said Lama, adding, “I have also formulated plans and policies about the futsal but ANFA ignored it. The attitude of the ANFA towards futsal is lackadaisical.”

Lama had lobbed higher authority to become the coordinator of the futsal committee.

To become the coordinator of an ANFA committee, one has to first become an ANFA central committee member, sources said.

Similarly, Kiran Rai, the spokesperson of ANFA, has said that Lama has not introduced any policies and programs about futsal.

“ANFA has not received any plans, let proposals alone.” Only informal talks were held,” ANFA will okay it if it is fine,” said Rai. “ANFA is arranging budget for the futsal infrastructure development.”

Lama stresses a complete overhaul in the existing system to raise the status of the futsal. “ANFA will organize two futsal tournaments this year. “A school-level league will be held after Tihar and ‘B’ and ‘C’ division leagues will begin after it,” said Lama.

Lama is looking to construct a futsal ground in the 16 ropanis of land in Mandikhatar. “We will begin construction from the next year,” said Lama.

The dissident group criticizes ANFA arguing that the expenses incurred in sending futsal players to Iran would help improve the professionalism of the players.

Lama, however, argues that it would be unwise to avoid participation on the pretext of having no futsal.

Meanwhile, Lama blames the previous futsal committees for not working efficiently. “If they had worked efficiently, the current situation would not have cropped up,” said Lama.

ANFA acting president Pankaj Nembang said that the futsal committee is working towards creating players by organizing the futsal league.

“The futsal committee is working out on the infrastructure development of the futsal, currently. The tournament will be held in Nepal next year. ANFA has shown concerns about it,” said Nembang.

Nepali futsal team is in Iran now to take part in the AFC Cup Futsal Championship Qualifiers. The top two teams will qualify for the AFC Cup Futsal Championship to be held in Turkmenistan in 2020.

Nepal is drawn alongside with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan in group A. Nepal will take on Tajikistan in the first match and play against Uzbekistan on October 24 and final of the group stage match with Afghanistan on October 25.