KATHMANDU: Former national footballer Balgopal Maharjan became the first Nepali to coach an international A division club outside Nepal.

Maharjan said he has been appointed a coach of the Bangladeshi club Brothers Union.

"It is a proud moment for the whole country," he said at a press conference in the Capital today.

According to Maharjan, he would leave for Dhaka on Thursday to take up the new responsibility.

Maharjan once was a player for the Bangladeshi club, which was established in 1949.

Maharjan said the Bangladeshi club was in conversation with him for the contract since Nepal won the Bangabandhu Gold Cup in January this year. "They had liked my style of coaching," he said.

Maharjan had coached the title-lifting Nepali team of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup held in Dhaka.

Maharjan said he would work toward uplifting the status of the club during his contract period.

He would be paid USD 1,500 a month for the job.

Brothers Union have appeared in the AFC Cup in 2005 and 2006.

Besides other significant achievements, the Brothers Union were the 2004 National Champions in Bangladesh.