EDITORIAL: Well done, boys!
They deserve better treatment by the government and society for their contributions
Amid the depressing news that the Nepali public has been subjected to for the past few years, particularly those relating to the loss of peace in the country, they were given something to cheer about on Saturday by the Nepali boys by winning the U-19 SAFF Football Championship. The happy result came after many nail-biting minutes, particularly in the dying minutes of the regular time and the penalty-shootout into which the game went after an 85th minute penalty the Indian counterparts were awarded. This victory means several things for the Nepali team which had not been able to bring home any single major trophy after they won the SAF football championship back in 1993 when also they had beat India in Bangladesh. And another repeat performance was that the then Nepali goal-minder Bal Gopal Maharjan was on Saturday the coach of the Nepali team. Nepal had a 22-year trophy drought. It has also broken the jinx it has almost always had whenever it played against India. This has boosted the morale of the Nepali soccer players that they are capable of beating any South Asian team. The Nepali team deserved a win as they played better on Saturday, even better than in their earlier games of the championship, as they created several opportunities.
- READ ALSO: Nepal beat India, win U-19 Championship
Nepali football has gradually improved over the years. This is despite the lack of adequate facilities and incentives for the players who have to sacrifice a lot while pursuing football. Football is the most popular sport in the world, but in South Asia, including Nepal, cricket is a strong contender in popularity. In cricket too, Nepal has considerably improved over the years. But in football, it is next to impossible for Nepal to hope for world glory, or even Asia-wide glory.
But there should be continuous efforts to raise the standard of Nepali football from the grassroots to the national level. Our present aim should be to become a soccer powerhouse in South Asia and parts of Asia, including Southeast Asia. That will be a realistic goal to pursue.
But it is not easy to achieve that goal. A lot of investment and efforts are required. To take the present case, our teenagers have brought the country glory. But in achieving this feat, they have put in years of constant efforts, devoting their soul and mind, time and energy into the game. This implies that as football has claimed the lion’s share of their time, they cannot give enough attention to their studies and some of them may have to give up studies completely for the sake of the game and some other career opportunities as well. Therefore, they deserve better treatment by the government and society for their contributions. Even after their retirement from the game as players which comes in their early 30s in most cases, they should not face an uncertain financial future. Our footballers also need more international exposure, more and better training, and better facilities. Nepali football coaches should also be encouraged to put in their best and for this they should be given the right environment. The government’s prior decision to give each player one lakh rupees if Nepal won is but a very small token which should also be taken positively. But much more needs to be done.
Wrong decision
The Thanagaun Village Development Committee, Gaighat in Udaypur district was declared an open defecation-free zone two months ago with a fanfare. But most of the 50 households of the Dalit families here do not use the toilets that they have built due to unavailability of water round the clock. Many people including the local politicians who are supposed to be the driving force of the social change accuse the VDC officials of declaring the area an open defecation free zone without ensuring the availability of drinking water close to the locality inhabited by the Dalit community.
The Dalits said that they could not use their toilets because of unavailability of water. It is the women folks who fetch water from a rivulet that lies at a two hours’ walking distance. The VDC should have made such an announcement only after making dependable arrangement for water supply to the area. Using toilet is necessary to maintain sanitation of the local area. But nobody can use the toilet without water. This is the case in point where the authorities made the wrong decision.
