FIFA freezes Nepali football activity due to a “third party”

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced the suspension of membership of the Nepalese Football Association, depriving the country’s national teams and clubs from participating in all international competitions. Nepal currently occupies 175th place in the men’s world rankings issued by FIFA, while the women’s team occupies 88th place. FIFA explained, in a letter addressed to the Nepalese Football Association, that the suspension decision came due to “unjustified interference from a third party,” in reference to the existing dispute between the Nepalese Federation and the National Sports Council, the government body supervising the management of the matter. The country’s sports federation, on the governance of Nepalese football, stresses the need for national football federations to operate independently of government bodies.