Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Global football bodies, the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), have endorsed the All Nepal Football Association’s (ANFA) plan to hold early elections.
In a joint letter dated April 4 from Elkhan Mammado, chief member associations officer of FIFA, and Vahid Kardany, deputy general secretary-member associations of AFC, which ANFA unveiled on Sunday, the two bodies said member associations have the obligations to manage their affairs independently and without undue influence from any third parties.
After ANFA moved ahead with its instruction to hold an early election, the Nepal Sports Council (NSC) on March 26 suspended ANFA for three months. ANFA’s suspension has brought all football-related activities to a grinding halt.
“Should the NSC fail to cancel or annul the aforementioned decision and confirm in writing to AFNA, within seven day of receipt of this letter, that said decision has no effect and that ANFA may therefore proceed with resuming and finalizing its electoral process, from the state reached prior to the suspension imposed by the NSC, the matter will be submitted to the AFIFA Council for the immediate suspension of ANFA,” the letter states.
The letter suggests that if the government, specifically the NSC, does not lift its suspension on ANFA, FIFA and the AFC could move to suspend Nepal, which would lead to loss of all membership rights, including participation in international competitions, access to development funds, and sporting relations with other member associations.
