KATHMANDU, MARCH 2
The All Nepal Football Association on Tuesday said it would request the Asian Football Confederation to choose Kathmandu as the centralised venue for the remaining fixtures.
Nepal's home game against Australia was scheduled for March 30 at the Dasharath Stadium but the AFC's decision of playing the remaining eight matches of Group B in a centralised venue meant the much-awaited visit of the Socceroos to Kathmandu has been cancelled, unless Kathmandu is chosen as the centralised venue. "We will try our level best to play our remaining games on home soil," said ANFA President Karma Tsering Sherpa.
He said Australia expressed concerns to the AFC regarding COVID-19 travel restrictions on their Europe-based players for the match against Nepal and the Asian governing body approved their request.
"The AFC has decided to conduct the remaining matches at a centralised venue and has asked member associations to submit their bid by March 8. We will try to convince the Asian body to get the rights of hosting the matches in Kathmandu," he said.
Nepal had lost 5-0 to Australia in their away match in Canberra in October 2019.
Out of the five matches played so far, Nepal have won one and lost four. Nepal lost 7-0 to Kuwait in the first leg match in Kuwait City before losing 1-0 in the return leg match in Bhutan after the ANFA could not host the home match at Dasharath Stadium which was devastated by the 2015 earthquakes.
Nepal then beat Chinese Taipei 2-0. It also lost to Jordan 1-0.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 3, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
