KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 11
Nepal national football team coach Abdullah Almutairi terminated his contract with the All Nepal Football Association today.
The controversial coach announced his resignation from the post for the third time through social media but this time he has also sent a letter to ANFA unilaterally ending the agreement.
"After 525 days in the service of Nepalese football, I announce the end of my tenure as coach of the Nepal national team," Almutairi wrote on Facebook. "Thank you to everyone who supported me on this journey that was not without moments of joy, love, sadness and pain," he added.
ANFA General Secretary Kiran Rai said the resignation would be accepted with immediate effect.
"We had asked him to furnish his explanations regarding the expulsion of 10 players from the national team camp but he refused to respond to our queries saying the Problem Identification and Recommendation Taskforce formed by the ANFA was not legal," said Rai.
"The resignation will be accepted and I will notify the executive committee. The board will take further decisions to find a new coach," he added.
The Taskforce, which was formed after Almutairi - who came to Nepal through Qatar FA's assistance to ANFA - allegedly ousted 10 players from the national team training camp, had suggested the ANFA to find the alternative coach after the Asian Cup Qualifiers. As per the recommendation of the Taskforce, the ANFA kept the 10 players out of the squad for the Qualifiers.
Almutairi's resignation came a day after ANFA President Pankaj Nembang met with Qatar FA President Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al-Thani in Doha. But ANFA General Secretary Rai said President Nembang's meeting with his Qatari counterpart Al- Thani had nothing to do with Almutairi's resignation. "It is just a coincidence. We were still discussing the way out and Almutairi unilaterally decided to quit the job," he added.
Almutairi took the helm of Nepali football in April 2021, initially in a one-year deal. He led Nepal to SAFF Championship final for the first time in October. He had announced his resignation on the eve of the final against India saying he would never return to Nepal. But the Kuwait coach somehow convinced the Qatar FA and the ANFA to extend his contract until the end of 2024.
Almutairi was surrounded by controversies during his stay in Nepal. He first had a fight with two sports journalists and the ANFA had to ask the Ministry of Youth and Sports to probe the incident.
The probe committee recommended the ANFA to warn the coach. In July 2021, Almutairi - who had a huge fan following over various social media platforms - accused the then senior vice-president Nembang of not letting him work freely and announced his resignation, again through Facebook.
Almutairi kicked 10 national team players out from the camp in April after the players raised voice over the low-standard facilities, especially accommodation provided to them during training.
The ANFA decided to send the coach to three-month leave after the Asian Cup Qualifiers. His return to Nepal as head coach came under clouds after Nembang was elected as the president of the ANFA in May.
The ANFA executive committee called the 10 expelled players to the national team and appointed General Secretary Rai to make a suitable decision on the coach. Rai asked the coach to furnish explanations on the issues raised by the Taskforce and the players but Almutairi refused to respond and the ANFA was looking for a proper way out before the Kuwaiti himself terminated the contract.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 12, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
