Stephen and the Media

Nepal Football Fan Club
The National Association of Football Fans of Nepal

Press Release

Date: 21 March 2001
Re: Resignation of National Football Team Coach Stephen Constantine

The Nepal Football Fan Club (NFFC) is deeply disheartened by the resignation of Nepal's national football team coach Stephen Constantine.

Stephen not only is a very good friend of the NFFC, but also an outstanding coach who leaves Nepal with countless trails of memories, accomplishments and friends.

Stephen Constantine brought Nepal and Nepali football much fame and adulation by guiding the national team to the finals of the 8th South Asian Federation Games and taking the under-16 national team to the Asian Youth U-16 Championship, which was the first time Nepal, at any level, qualified for the finals of a continental level   championship.

Stephen loves Nepal. This was evident when he donned the Nepali national dress, the 'daura suruwal', during the SAF Games and by his reluctance to leave Nepal for more attractive coaching positions abroad.

His love for Nepal was thus recognized when he was awarded the 'Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Baahu' by His Majesty the King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.

It is an outrage that a person such as Stephen, who loves Nepal so much and who has done so much for Nepal and Nepali football was left with little options other than to resign as the national team coach.

As the resignation of Stephen Constantine was due to the inability to perform his duties because of the ongoing feud between the two ANFA factions, one led by Geeta Rana and the other led by Ganesh Thapa, once again Nepali football is left to suffer because of the stubbornness, selfishness and apathy of the two parties.

Their greed and egos have turned Nepali football into a sinking ship. Nepal already lost the right to host the World Cup Qualifiers, its national team coach, millions in assistant grants and its international reputation.

Nepali football is now on the brink of also losing its greatest asset – its fans – a group that the two ANFA's seem not to care about. As Coach Constantine mentioned in his press conference the biggest losers in this feud are the football fans of Nepal. Already millions have jumped off the sinking ship and millions more are on the verge.

The state of Nepali football is in dire straights and action has to be taken! The NFFC calls on the ANFA factions, the government, the concerned administrative bodies and all those who care and love Nepali football to come together and resolve this fiasco promptly!

Bikesh Shrestha, Biplav Gautam, Michael Dean Raney