Football

Nepal will be banking on the strong psyche of players as much on their technical skills and home advantage when they take another shot at the SAFF Women’s Championship crown.

The sixth edition of the seven-team regional football competition kicks off at Kathmandu’s Dashrath Stadium on Tuesday. Hosts Nepal open their campaign against Group B rivals Bhutan. They play Sri Lanka, the other side in the group, on September 12.

Defending champions India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Pakistan are in Group A. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals. The final will be on September 19.

For Nepali players, many of whom have been playing together since 2013, nothing would be more satisfying than getting their hands on a trophy that eluded them till now.

After being appointed coach in July, Thapa reviewed hours and hours of Nepali national teams’ video footage from their previous matches.

“We committed more mistakes than our rivals,” he noted.

Keeping it simple

Thapa, a former Nepali international himself, has kept his strategy simple: Defenders should make fewer mistakes in the back and forwards should do the same in front of goal.

Compared to rival teams who have trained for longer periods, Nepal’s preparation for the tournament is far from ideal. Add to the lack of a proper women’s league in the country, training has been run in fits and starts.

Rather than fretting over it, Thapa said, the Nepali team had decided to put all those things behind them and move on. “We’re making the best use of the available resources with a tunnel vision.” 

Overcoming the trauma of losing against India has been a big mental challenge facing this Nepal team.

Nepal have reached the competition final four times, but they came up short against India on each occasion. India have won all five previous editions to stamp their authority on the tournament.

“This could be the last chance for many senior Nepali players who have been playing on the team for eight years,” said Thapa, who is known as a no-nonsense person in the footballing circle. "We'll go for broke this time around." 

Building mental strength

He is taking a cue from what big clubs and footballers are following in Europe to stay on top of their game. Thapa, with the help of the All Nepal Football Association, has been running sessions with a psychologist for the players.

“We plan to have a couple of such sessions during the tournament as well,” he said. “With all these things going on, I’m confident of the team playing a good brand of football and winning the title.”

But the former Nepal and Manang Marshyangdi playmaker is careful to not go ahead of himself: “We’ll take one game at a time, beginning with our opening match against Bhutan.”  

He also appealed to Nepali football fans to come out in force to cheer on the home team: “Support your national team as its thirteenth player. I’m sure our victory will inspire a legion of football fans for years to come.” 

Also read: Nepal announce final squad for SAFF Women's Championship

Nepal in SAFF Women's Championships
Bangladesh 2010

Nepal qualified for the semi-finals as Group A winners with perfect results against Afghanistan, Maldiv,es and Pakistan. They defeated Bangladesh 3-0 to set up a meeting against India in the final. Nepal gave India, who decimated Pakistan 8-0, a run for their money but eventually lost 1-0.

Sri Lanka 2012

Nepal won all three Group B games to book a place in the semi-finals of the competition. Nepal put three goals past hosts Sri Lanka to set up a meeting with India for the title. In the final, Nepal took an early lead but India equalised as the teams went into half-time at 1-1. But India struck twice in the second half to win 3-1.

Pakistan 2014

Nepal made another promising start, making it to the third consecutive final with perfect results. They scored 14 goals along the way, including a 1-0 semi-final victory over Bangladesh. But they came up short again in the final as India secured a 1-0 win to complete a title hat-trick.

India 2016

It was Nepal’s worst performance in the competition. Coach Kumar Thapa’s side qualified for the last four on the back of wins against three group rivals. But Nepal met their nemesis India in the semi-finals after the latter finished runners-up to Bangladesh in the other group. Sabitra Bhandari was in superb form, netting 12 goals in the tournament. Her goal proved just a consolation, as India advanced with a 3-1 win. The score repeated in the final as India beat Bangladesh.

Nepal 2019

Only six nations participated in the competition held in Biratnagar. Pakistan stayed out of the tournament and Afghanistan left SAFF for the Central Asian Football Association. The hosts stormed into the semi-finals from Group A on the back of wins over Bangladesh and Bhutan. Nepal and India, who also had perfect results, swept Sri Lanka and Bangladesh respectively by the identical margin of 4-0. In the final, a partisan crowd cheered on the host team with expectation of a maiden title. It was not to be, as India won 3-1.