Kathmandu, September 26:

Minister for Education and Sports Pradeep Nepal, who is also the chairman of the National Sports Council (NSC), said that All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) president Ganesh Thapa will be asked to step down or else his association will be dissolved.

Minister Nepal was speaking to the mediapersons here today at the NSC where he arrived to chair the 61st NSC board meeting. The board meeting, however, did not take place following protests from two agitating groups — Football Struggle Committee and NSC Central Employees’ Association (CEA).

The agitating ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Division football Club have long been demanding the dissolution of the ANFA. The agitators requested the minister to dissolve ANFA headed by Ganesh Thapa and form a committee with a mandate to hold a fresh ANFA elections.

“We will ask Thapa to resign after the AFC President’s Cup and if he denies, we will dissolve ANFA,” said Nepal. Minister Nepal also said that ANFA will be directed not to send Nepali team to any international tournaments after Mahendra Police Club’s (MPC) campaign ends in Lahore. MPC will play Regar-TadAZ in semi-finals on Thursday.

The CEA were protesting to draw attention not to pass the recently amended Emlpoyees’ Service Regulation,which they believed to be against them. The CEA requested the minister Nepal to undertake broad discussion before passing the Regulation so that the employees do not have to be deprived of their rights.