Bangladesh-Nepal match cancelled due to unrest situation in Kathmandu

The friendly FIFA match between Bangladesh and Nepal scheduled for Tuesday at the Dasarath Stadium in Kathmandu has been called off following ongoing student and public protests in Nepal’s capital.

The Nepalese government has imposed a curfew to control the situation. The manager of the Bangladesh team, Amer Khan, confirmed the matter from Kathmandu.

The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) had proposed that Bangladesh play the match tomorrow in an empty stadium. However, Bangladesh did not agree to the proposal.

Amer Khan, manager of the national football team, expressed his concerns to the Nepal Federation officials, saying, “There is a risk even in an empty stadium. When the public has entered the parliament, there is no guarantee they will not enter the stadium.”

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has also given the highest priority to the safety of the players. Therefore, the Bangladesh team management was unwilling to take any risks in Kathmandu.

Despite various proposals from Nepal, they were not interested in playing. The manager mentioned that the team’s flight, which was scheduled for Wednesday, is now being moved up.

“The federation is working on the tickets. We need to leave this place as soon as possible,” he said.

Bangladesh had travelled to Nepal for two matches during the September FIFA window. The first match, held the day before yesterday, ended in a draw against the hosts.

The second match was set for Tuesday. The pre-match press conference was held on Monday. However, due to the deteriorating situation in Kathmandu, neither the Bangladesh nor the Nepal team was able to practise. The decision to cancel the match was made about five hours later.

The Nepal Football Federation has yet to issue an official statement on the match cancellation. The BFF, on the other hand, announced the cancellation on its Facebook page with a graphic, rather than formally informing the media beforehand on such a crucial matter.