Nepali soccer seems to be getting lots of abuse on social media in light of the recent successes of the national cricket team. Here's a short rant on the topic:
I remember when football was very popular in Bangladesh and they had some of the strongest clubs in the region. Then came success in cricket and football turned into an after-thought in the country. Could this be Nepal's fate in the years ahead?
I certainly hope not, but how many times does the national team have to flop for people to realize that cash rewards do not make players better. Good players make money, money does not make players good.
You want to win - develop competent coaches, get serious about youth football development (one academy and a single school tournament a year is not enough), force clubs to professionalize through club licensing and run a 6-8 month league played mostly on weekends for the benefit of fans and the health of the players.
With hundreds of thousands of Dollars pouring in from FIFA and millions of Rupees coming from the Government, writing a cheque is pretty easy. Developing a sound football development strategy - now that takes some true grit.
I remember when football was very popular in Bangladesh and they had some of the strongest clubs in the region. Then came success in cricket and football turned into an after-thought in the country. Could this be Nepal's fate in the years ahead?
I certainly hope not, but how many times does the national team have to flop for people to realize that cash rewards do not make players better. Good players make money, money does not make players good.
You want to win - develop competent coaches, get serious about youth football development (one academy and a single school tournament a year is not enough), force clubs to professionalize through club licensing and run a 6-8 month league played mostly on weekends for the benefit of fans and the health of the players.
With hundreds of thousands of Dollars pouring in from FIFA and millions of Rupees coming from the Government, writing a cheque is pretty easy. Developing a sound football development strategy - now that takes some true grit.
