Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Former football players lifted the padlock at the headquarters of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) in Satdobato following talks with ANFA officials on Tuesday.
Officials of the Nepal Football Players Association held a discussion with ANFA officials led by ANFA General Secretary Kiran Rai in Lalitpur on Tuesday. During the meeting, the two sides agreed to start the Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League.
This has ended uncertainty over the country’s top-tier football competition, which has not been held for the past three years.
ANFA has also pledged to deposit the required amount to the Players’ Endowment Fund and agreed to begin paying outstanding prize money owed to players from this month in instalments. Some prize money is pending for nearly nine years.
ANFA Central Committee Member Purushottam Thapa, CEO Indraman Tuladhar, Treasurer Rabindra Joshi, and spokesperson Suresh Shah, along with representatives of the players’ association, organized a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to inform the media about decisions made by the meeting.
The footballers padlocked the ANFA headquarters on Sunday when around three dozen former players, led by Lama, reached the ANFA headquarters with a three-point demand. The players resorted to padlocking after ANFA leadership was not present to address their concerns.
Their demands included fixing the date for the Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League, providing detailed information about the players’ endowment fund, and clearing long-pending prize money owed to footballers.
