FIFA suspends Nepal over government interference
IFA has suspended the All Nepal Football Association after government interference in its electoral process, barring Nepal’s national teams and clubs from international competition and cutting access to development funding.
FIFA has suspended the All Nepal Football Association with immediate effect after concluding that intervention by Nepal’s National Sports Council breached rules requiring member associations to operate independently.The indefinite suspension prevents Nepal’s national teams and clubs from participating in FIFA and Asian Football Confederation competitions. ANFA officials and member bodies will also lose access to international development programmes, funding, courses and training.FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström said the decision followed “flagrant violations of the FIFA Statutes” and undue third-party interference in ANFA’s affairs.The dispute centres on the National Sports Council’s intervention in ANFA’s election process and governance arrangements.The council suspended ANFA’s executive committee for three months on March 25, accusing the governing body of failing to follow domestic directives and attempting to proceed with elections without the required approval.That suspension was later lifted, but FIFA concluded that the underlying decisions and instructions affecting ANFA’s autonomy had not been fully withdrawn.The National Sports Council had also sought changes to ANFA’s statutes under Nepal’s Sports Development Act and instructed the association to delay elections until district bodies had updated their own governance arrangements.FIFA and the AFC had supported ANFA’s proposed election process and repeatedly warned that external intervention could lead to an international suspension.ANFA spokesperson Suresh Shah said: “The suspension is an issue of grave concern. We are consulting with all stakeholders to lift the suspension, keeping Nepal’s football in priority.“It impacts our players, barring them from opportunities and dampens dreams of aspiring players.”The sanction has immediate sporting and commercial consequences. Nepal’s men’s and women’s national teams cannot play recognised international fixtures, while domestic clubs are excluded from AFC competitions.FIFA and AFC funding supports coaching, facilities, administration, youth development and competition delivery in emerging football markets. Losing access could increase pressure on an association already facing governance and financial instability.The suspension may also affect sponsorship and broadcast agreements tied to national-team participation or international club competitions.FIFA has indicated that reinstatement will require the National Sports Council to revoke the disputed decisions and allow ANFA to complete its electoral process without outside interference.National Sports Council member secretary Ram Charitra Mehta said the government had not wanted Nepal to be suspended and was assessing ways to resolve the dispute.The case highlights the recurring tension between domestic sports legislation and FIFA’s insistence that national associations remain free from government control.FIFA has previously suspended member associations where state bodies, courts or other third parties have removed officials, altered statutes or disrupted elections.ANFA must now secure a settlement with the National Sports Council that satisfies both Nepalese law and FIFA’s governance requirements.The suspension will remain in place until FIFA determines that ANFA can operate independently and complete its election process under an internationally approved structure.