In a major relief for the domestic sports community, the government has officially revoked the three-month suspension imposed on the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). The decision, which completely removes all restrictions on ANFA’s activities without any preconditions, brings an end to a high-stakes, multi-month administrative deadlock that had brought Nepali football to a virtual standstill.
The breakthrough came following a decisive meeting on Friday attended by the Minister for Education and Sports, Sasmit Pokharel, National Sports Council (NSC) Member Secretary Ramcharitra Mehta, and top ANFA officials, including General Secretary Kiran Rai and Spokesperson Suresh Shah.
A Risk of Global Isolation
The NSC had originally suspended the entire ANFA executive committee, led by President Pankaj Bikram Nembang, on March 25, 2026. The sports regulatory body cited violations of the National Sports Development Act, accusing ANFA of non-compliance and attempting to bulldoze its executive elections ahead of schedule without state approval.
The heavy-handed government intervention quickly caught the attention of global football governing bodies. The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) repeatedly warned the NSC that the state’s suspension amounted to “undue third-party interference”—a strict violation of FIFA statutes.
Global soccer authorities placed immense pressure on Nepal, demanding an immediate withdrawal of the suspension. Had the government not backed down, Nepal risked a blanket FIFA ban, which would have meant the immediate forfeiture of global funding, an international travel blacklist for players, and exclusion from all global competitions.
Immediate Return to Normalcy
With the suspension lifted, the immediate threat of a FIFA ban has evaporated, paving the way for domestic and international fixtures to resume.