Kathmandu, October 22:

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has plans to invest in the national leagues in Asian countries, said AFC vice president Manilal Fernando. Speaking at a programme, Fernando said that the AFC was thinking of providing monetary assistance for the national leagues in Asian countries to promote the sport. Fernando, who is also the FIFA Development Officer and chairman of AFC Media Committee, said that Nepal was on its way to getting the second phase of FIFA Goal Project.

Fernando was here to receive the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu IV conferred by King Gyanendra on Friday. “I found the Royal family members keen to develop football in Nepal, which is a supporting factor for promoting the sport within the country,” he said.

Fernando also said that the AFC was planning to organise friendly tournaments among the Asian countries. “We have been working out to organise friendly matches — as it happens a lot in Europe — for the Asian nations, which would help them for competing in international level,” he added.

ANFA president Ganesh Thapa said that the assistance provided by the FIFA and AFC was valuable in developing the sport. “We did not take part in the World Cup qualifiers to avoid unnecessary financial burden,” he said. “We have been investing a lot in youth projects and national league to make sure that the players would be able to earn their livings from football,” he said.