Kathmandu, October 23 The 15th General Assembly of the All Nepal Football Association is set to elect new leadership in the football governing body here today. The much-awaited General Assembly, which is being held after three years, is being held to elect new president and one vice-president for the remaining term of one year. The president’s post is vacant since November last year after FIFA Ethics Committee banned Ganesh Thapa for 10 years for his involvement in corruption and other charges related to disciplines, while the vice-president’s post is vacant following the death of the then acting president Lalit Krishna Shrestha in March last year. Narendra Lal Shrestha, who was nominated as the vice-president following the death of Lalit Krishna Shrestha, has been at the helm of ANFA for the last 10 months. He is contesting for the post of president against vice-president Karma Tshiring Sherpa, who is the leader of the rebel group that fought to unseat Thapa from the ANFA. Sherpa along with two other vice-presidents Bijay Narayan Manandhar and Kishor Rai and Member Pankaj Nembang were expelled by the ANFA from their post on September 28, 2015 after they raised voice against Thapa’s atrocities. The ANFA Executive Committee on June 1 reinstated the four officials following the instructions of the Asian Football Confederation, which said the move was against the statute of ANFA. The ANFA Executive Committee, which took more than two months to call its meeting after the reinstatement, announced the elections date only after the AFC threatened of forming normalisation committee. As the ANFA was preparing for the elections for the first time in two decades since Thapa took over the regime at the football governing body, both the contestants seemed confident of winning with ease. Acting President and one of the two contestants for the post of president, Shrestha said he would secure the majority. “I am 100 per cent sure that I will get the required number of votes to win the elections,” said Shrestha. Asked about his speculation regarding the votes, Shrestha said: “Let’s not go to the numbers at the moment but I know I will get the majority.” A total of 67 representatives — one each from 44 district FAs, 12 ‘A’ Division Clubs, five ‘B’ division clubs, three ‘C’ division clubs, referee committee, women’s committee, coach committee and players committee —will cast their votes. Jhapa district FA did not send the names of representatives, while Shree Kumari Club lost the voting rights after the club was banned for two years for causing trouble in the Martyrs Memorial ‘B’ Division League. Another contestant Sherpa was also confident of winning the elections and initiating a new beginning at the ANFA. “I don’t know how they (Shrestha panel) are calculating their votes, but I can tell that the group of people who fought for change at the ANFA will secure at least 47 votes and win the elections comfortably,” said Sherpa. “There is no need to panic as we have full support of 24 district FAs and 15 clubs. And I believe we will get the votes of four to five out of nine district FAs who have stayed neutral till today,” he added. The election process resumed on Friday after Patan High Court paved the way for General Assembly. The division bench of justices Bhim Kumar Ojha and Dilli Raj Acharya said there was no enough evidence to prove the election was illegal and instructed the concerned authorities to go ahead with the schedule. Former FIFA Assistant Referee Binod Lama and former ANFA General Secretary Lok Bahadur Shahi had filed the writ petition demanding the interim order to stop the elections. FIFA representative Member Association and Development Department Manager Luca Nicola, MA and International Relation Director at AFC Ravi Kumar and International Relation Officer at AFC Purushottam Kattel have already arrived in Kathmandu to observe the elections. ExCo picks Ghale as Honorary Prez LALITPUR: The ANFA Executive Committee meeting today decided to propose three agendas in the closed session of the 15th General Assembly. Apart from passing the reports prepared by General Secretary Dhirendra Pradhan and Treasurer Birat Jung Shahi, the executive committee also decided to propose former General Secretary of ANFA Tashi Ghale as the Honorary President.  Ghale will become the first Honorary President at the ANFA if the General Assembly endorses the executive committee’s proposal. The former president of the Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club Ghale withdrew from the race of presidential elections making it a two-way battle between Narendra Lal Shrestha and Karma Tshiring Sherpa. ANFA CEO Indra Man Tuladhar said the executive committee unanimously endorsed the three proposals to be presented before the General Assembly. “We discussed about the reports of General Secretary and Treasurer and also decided to propose Tashi Ghale as the Honorary President,” said Tuladhar. Acting President Shrestha said the executive committee decided to propose Ghale’s name for the post of Honorary President as an honour. “We have a provision of Honorary President in the statute and we decided Ghale’s name as he has made a lot of contribution in Nepali football,” said Shrestha. Vice-president Sherpa said his group backed the proposal. “We were okay with the proposal as Ghale is an individual who has done a lot in Nepali football,” said Sherpa.